A Monster in Us
by Spartan5271
Summary: Satoshi and Ryuki Suni are twins who were born with an unnatural gift, they both have one Grimm eye. When given the chance, they try to live normal lives. But can they? Also even though it says Ruby x Yang x OC, it's actually Ruby x OC and Yang x other OC Disclaimer: All the RWBY lore, Grimm, canon characters, and story all belong to rooster teeth and Monty Oum
1. Chapter 1

**This is gonna be the new version of A Monster In Us.**

 **Name: Satoshi Suni**

 **Age: 17**

 **Race: human with Grimm eye**

 **Weapon: handmade steel sword**

 **Appearance: black shaggy hair, a white tshirt with a black jacket, darkish blue pants, and sneakers. Handmade metal plating chest and shoulder pads**

 **Semblance: unknown**

 **Name: Ryuki Suni**

 **Age: 17**

 **Race: Human with Grimm eye**

 **Weapon: handmade bow and arrows**

 **Appearance: long black hair, a white long shirt and blue jeans, flexible handmade armor plating along the shoulders and chest**

 **Semblance: telekinesis**

 **Pov: Satoshi**

My name is Satoshi Suni. I have… a unique facial appearance. My eye. It is the same eye a Grimm has. My left eye has a Grimm eye and my twin, Ryuki, has one on her right eye. We have had this since we were born. And ever since, it's been more of a curse than a blessing…

Our parents abandoned us and no one accepts us, Faunus and humans alike. I guess that's the one thing they both have in common, hating the true monsters… We have been begging and looking for decent jobs as long as we could remember. We don't have the life I wish we had, but at least we are still alive. That's all I can hope for.

We were walking down the streets of Vale. It was quiet which was nice. I looked to my left and saw Ryuki. She was starving. It was quite obvious. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my energy bar, or my dinner.

"Here." I said.

She looked at me and shook her head before she started to speak in sign language. Ever since she was born, Ryuki has been a mute. I don't know why, but I've learned her sign language.

'You need to eat.' She said.

"You do too. We didn't get a lot today and this was all I could get us. You should have it." I said.

'Satoshi-'

"Do it." I said.

Ryuki sighed and grabbed the energy bar and began to eat it. Once she was done, she smiled.

'That tasted good. But next time, you're eating.' Ryuki said.

"Okay." I chuckled.

We suddenly heard the sound of glass breaking.

I looked at Ryuki and she nodded. We ran towards the commotion and saw a girl about Ryuki's age on top of a guy with a criminal look to him. In front of her was about five more men and a man with a white jacket, a bowler hat, and a cane. The girl got up and suddenly, she was holding a scythe in her hands.

"Okay then… get her." He said.

I looked at Ryuki and saw her take out her handmade bow and five arrows. I nodded and took out my steel sword.

 **Pov change: Ruby**

I jumped up and attacked the approaching henchman, but before another henchman hit me, a sudden arrow hit him.

I looked behind me and saw an older guy, around Yang's age, and a girl around my age. They came over and helped me fight.

"Who are you guys?" I asked.

"We're here to help." The guy said. "Ryuki, cover us."

The girl, Ryuki, nodded and aimed carefully.

"Can we get back to reality please? I have a schedule." The guy said, impatiently.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

I charged at the henchman on the left and swung my sword at him. He dodged but ended up getting kicked in the face by the girl. A third henchman almost hit us when he was hit by Ryuki. The girl and I turned around to see the last henchman with a scared look on his face, I looked at her and she looked at me. We smirked and delivered a dual kick to his stomach and he flew back into the guy with the white jacket.

"Of course the children would beat the adults. Well look you three, I have had a wonderful time watching you beat up my men, however," he stepped on his cigar and raised his cane to aim at us, "this meeting is over."

We all dodged the blast that came from his cane and looked around. I felt a tap on my shoulder and Ryuki pointed at the building to our left.

"Left side!" I yelled.

The girl in the hoodie looked and followed the guy up onto the rooftop.

"Hey!" The girl yelled as the guy came to a stop.

He muttered something when a freaking Bullhead flew up from the street. He hopped on and tossed a red crystal in front of us.

"LOOK OUT!" I yelled.

Before I knew it, there was smoke all around us, but then… there was this random woman here. She had a look that defined strict and the riding crop she was using as a weapon just confirmed it.

She made a bunch of debris turn into basically very serrated spears as she using them against the Bullhead. We almost got it when this woman, I can't even see her face, appeared and started to attack the woman.

The hooded girl and Ryuki started to fire their weapons. The mysterious woman blocked the shots and dodged the arrows. When she finished deflecting the shots, she formed a bunch of circles around us. The woman who was helping us pushed all aside and jumped out of the way of the blast. When we got back up, the Bullhead was departing. The woman sighed when we heard the hooded girl looking at the woman in awe.

"A huntress… can I have your autograph?!" She asked.

 **Later**

Ryuki and I were waiting outside of the room the girl and the woman were currently in.

'Are we in trouble?' Ryuki asked.

"If we are, we'll get by like we usually do." I said.

The girl walked out and seemed really excited before running off faster than I could blink.

"Well that seemed like it went well." I said.

The woman walked out and pointed at us.

"Someone would like to speak with you two." She said.

We got up and walked into the room to see a man with a fine black suit, glasses, and white hair.

We sat down and looked at him.

"I would offer you two cookies, but someone ate all of them." He said.

"Sir, before we start, I'd like to apologize for my sister. She can't spe-"

"I am aware of your sister's illness. And your eyes." He said.

I lifted my hand and touched my eye.

"You mean our curse?" I asked.

"You two have a gift." He said.

"That 'gift' so far has allowed us nothing but misery." I said.

He brought up a screen that showed our fight. Wait, how did he get that?

"You two have learned how to survive with nothing but each other and your wits. I see that as a valued skill for huntsmen." The man said.

'Who are you?' Ryuki asked.

"I am Professor Opzin, the headmaster of Beacon Acedemy." He said.

"Beacon huh? Pretty nice school." I said.

"A nice school for those who wish to become hunters and huntress. I am interested in you and your sister."

'Why us?' Ryuki asked.

"I believe that there is potential in both of you." He said. "How would both of you like to come to Beacon?"

"I think it's quite obvious that… we aren't exactly the richest people. And besides, we would just be bullied for our eyes." I said.

"Your tuition will be paid for in whole, and I will even have you both design your own weapons to be made. And a simple eyepatch can solve the eye problem." Ozpin said. "Now I offer again, will you two join?"

I looked at Ryuki and she looked at me.

 **Later**

I sighed as Ryuki and I walked onto the ship. I felt my face and felt the fine leather that stuck to it. I looked down and saw the clothing I was in. My normal clothing but it was clean and had decent armor plating for protection. I looked at Ryuki and she was the same. She was uncomfortable. She didn't need to say it, I knew it.

"Ready?" I asked.

She nodded and we walked in.

The aircraft took off and we were on our way to Beacon. I held Ryuki's hand since she was the biggest fan of flying.

"Oh my god, my little sister is coming with me to Beacon?!" We heard.

"Yang stop it!" We looked and saw that hooded girl who we helped a few weeks ago.

We walked over and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Huh? Oh it's you guys!" She said.

"You know these two?" The girl named Yang asked.

"Yeah, they helped me fight that weird guy at the dust shop." She said. "My name's Ruby Rose and this is my sister, Yang Xiao Long."

"Hello there, my name is Satoshi Suni and this is my twin, Ryuki." I said.

"What happened to your eyes?" Ruby asked.

"Got into an accident." I said.

"Your sister doesn't talk much does she?" Yang asked.

"She can't talk." I said.

"Oh I'm sorry. I didn't know." Yang said.

'It's okay.' Ryuki said.

"She said it is okay." I said.

"You two were awesome that night!" Ruby said.

"Well we're just glad we were able to help." I said.

Ryuki nodded.

'Twenty minutes to Beacon, please grab your belongings.' The overhead speakers said.

"Well, that's our que. Let's go Ryuki." I said.

"Bye!" Ruby waved.

We waved goodbye as we headed towards the luggage.

 **Pov change: Yang**

"They were nice." Ruby said.

"Yeah, especially that guy." I smirked.

"Gross! Yang!" Ruby shoved me.

I just chuckled. This was going to be a fun time.

 **Hope you guys like this story. Here's the big question, who should be shipped with who? Leave a review because I just love reading what people think. Cheers**


	2. Chapter 2

**Name: Satoshi Suni**

 **Age: 17**

 **Race: human with Grimm eye**

 **Weapon: fire dust infused Vale steel sword that transforms into a steel magnum revolver with fire dust bullets**

 **Appearance: black shaggy hair, a white tshirt with a black jacket, darkish blue pants, and sneakers. Master crafted metal plating chest plate and shoulder pads**

 **Semblance: unknown**

 **Name: Ryuki Suni**

 **Age: 17**

 **Race: Human with Grimm eye**

 **Weapon: hand carved bow and multi-dust arrows**

 **Appearance: long black hair, a white long shirt and blue jeans, flexible master crafted armor plating along the shoulders and chest**

 **Semblance: telekinesis**

 **Pov: Satoshi**

We walked off of the ship and saw a guy with blonde hair begin puking into a trash can. Guess flying isn't for everyone. I looked at Ryuki. She had a look that says "I'm sick but I'm not going to let myself get sick." We were walking towards the auditorium when all of a sudden, we heard a loud explosion. We quickly looked and saw that the explosion was from fire dust. We rushed over and saw that it was Ruby.

Ryuki and I looked at each other before we heard yelling.

"You idiot! How can you be so stupid?!" It was none other than Weiss Schnee.

"I-I'm sorry." Ruby said.

"What are you even doing here? Aren't you a little young to be in this academy?" Weiss asked.

I noticed Ryuki started to get angry about this.

"Look I said I was sorry, princess." Ruby replied.

Ryuki almost intervened when we saw a girl with a black bow and black and white apparel on walk over with a vial of fire dust.

"It's heiress actually. Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. One of the biggest dust facility in all the kingdoms." She said.

"Well it's glad to see someone ap-"

"And notorious for their for their harsh labor and questionable business partners." She said.

Ryuki and I started to chuckle at that.

"Why you- how dare-" Weiss said before she grabbed the vial and walked away.

We watched as she left then, before Ruby could thank her savior, she was walking away. Ruby sighed and fell to the ground.

Before I could even look to my left, Ryuki was walking over to her.

 **Pov change: Ruby**

"Why me?" I asked.

My vision suddenly went from super bright to super dark. I opened my eyes and saw it was Ryuki.

"Oh hello Ryuki." I said.

Ryuki extended her hand towards me and motioned for me to take it. I grabbed it and she helped me up.

"Hey." Satoshi said.

"Did you guys see that?" I asked.

"Watch as you and that girl made Weiss Schnee run away? Yeah." Satoshi said.

I smiled a bit at that.

 **Later**

"So you guys were homeless all these years?" I asked.

Ryuki and Satoshi nodded.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because humanity can be cruel." Satoshi said.

"Not all of humanity." I smiled.

Ryuki nodded.

"So I saw both of your weapons when we fought that guy. They looked cool, were they handmade?" I asked.

"Yeah, but now they're improved." Satoshi said as he took out his sword and Ryuki took out her bow.

"Whoa…" I stared in awe.

"What about that weird scythe gun thing you had?" Satoshi asked.

I smirked as I pulled out Crescent Rose. Ryuki and Satoshi were amazed to see it.

Ryuki looked at Satoshi and spoke in sign.

"She's asking if you made it." Satoshi said.

I nodded happily.

"Hey hold on… where is everyone?" Satoshi asked.

We looked around and saw no one.

"I don't know, I was following you guys." I said.

 **Later**

We walked into the auditorium and I saw Yang.

"Hey Ruby!" She waved. She stopped when she saw Satoshi and Ryuki.

"Well helloooooo…" Yang said as she pushed me aside and stood in front of Satoshi.

"Uh hehe…" Satoshi laughed nervously.

"Thanks for leaving me!" I said to Yang.

"You were fine." Yang said.

"I WAS, and then I exploded!" I yelled.

"I think you're being a bit dramatic." Yang said.

"No she did." Satoshi said.

"I was talking to this girl, or she was yelling at me, and then she started shaking this vial thing and I sneezed which made it explode and then she started to yell at me more-"

"YOU!" Weiss said behind her.

"AH SHE'S BACK!" I yelled as I hopped in Yang's arms.

"You're lucky we didn't get hurt." Weiss said.

"Oh my god you literally exploded." Yang said.

I hopped down and sighed.

"Look, I'm sorry tha-" I began to say when she flashed a pamphlet at me.

"Here is a pamphlet that states that…" As she spoke, I couldn't process it at all.

"Understand?" Weiss asked.

"Uhhh…"

"Do you really want to make it up?" Weiss asked.

"Yes." I said.

"The read this and don't speak to me again." Weiss said.

All of a sudden, Ryuki pushed past me and started to speak in sign. Weiss must've understood what she was saying based on the look on her face.

"How dare-" Weiss was interrupted by the mic being tapped.

We looked and saw the headmaster.

"I'll...keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step." Ozpin said.

"He seemed… off." Yang said.

"Yeah…" Satoshi said.

"All of you, please head to the cafeteria. You will be resting there for the evening. All the boys shall be on the right side and all the girls shall be on the left side." Ms. Goodwitch said.

 **Later**

I was writing a letter to my friends when Yang flopped down next to me.

"It's like a big slumber party." Yang said.

"I doubt dad would approve of all the guys." I said.

"I don't." Yang said as she looked at all the guys. All of a sudden, we saw the guy who was vomiting in a bunny one piece pajama suit and we started to laugh.

I looked over to see Ryuki. She was sitting and looking at her eyepatch.

"Huh…" I said.

"What?" Yang asked.

"Satoshi's sister. I wonder what she said to Weiss that pissed her off so much." I said.

"Well let's go ask." Yang said as she got up and grabbed my arm.

"Huh?!"

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

I had my eyepatch in my hand but had my eye shut when I heard two voices coming closer, so I quickly put on my eyepatch.

"Hello." Yang waved.

'Hello.' I said in sign.

"Oh wait… neither of us speak sign." Yang said.

"She said hello." We heard. We looked and saw the girl with the black bow who helped Ruby earlier.

"You're the girl who helped me. I'm Ruby." Ruby said.

"Blake." Blake said.

"I like your bow, it goes well with your… pajamas." Yang said.

"Yes… it does." Blake said.

"Nice night." Ruby said.

"Yes, almost as nice as this book. That I will continue to read. As soon as you leave." Blake said.

"*sigh* Come on Ruby, this girl is a lost cause." Yang said.

"Wait, I have a question. Why did you help me Ryuki?" Ruby asked.

I looked at Blake and she nodded, so I spoke and Blake translated.

"Because it wasn't right for her to just yell at you. You didn't know. And besides I hate seeing people being treated the way you did. I felt like it wasn't the right thing to do, so I did it." Blake said for me.

"You remind me of the books I read." Ruby said. "The ones where the hero conquers all and everything has a happy ending."

"That's quite optimistic, but this isn't a story, it's the real world." Blake said.

"Well that's why we're here. To make the stories come true." Ruby said.

I looked away and felt my cheeks heat up slightly.

"Will you all be quiet? Some of us are trying to sleep-" Weiss said as she walked up.

"OH NOT YOU AGAIN!" Yang and Weiss said in sync.

I chuckled at that.

They started arguing more when Blake blew out her candle.

This definitely was going to be a strange year.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

I was looking at my sword when the guy who threw up on the ship sat next to me.

"Got room for one more?" He asked.

"Sure." I said.

"Name's Jaune Arc." He said.

"Satoshi Suni." I said.

"Cool. What's your weapon?" He asked.

"A steel Vale sword with fire infused dust that transforms into a magnum revolver with fire dust rounds. What about you?" I asked.

"Old heirloom. Sword and shield." Jaune said.

"Gotta love the classics." I said.

"Why aren't you hanging with the other guys?" Jaune asked.

"I am not really a people person, I've only had my sister by my side all these years, I'm more comfortable with her than anyone else." I said.

"Ah… well you're the only guy here who will actually make eye contact with me." Jaune said.

"I think that's because of the pajamas." I said.

Jaune chuckled.

"Well hey, I think we should get some rest before the big initiation. See you around friend." Jaune said as he walked away.

"Friend…" I said as he walked away.

I placed my weapon next to me and got into my sleeping bag before falling asleep.

This may be an interesting place.

 **I think that it is a bit obvious that the lines are different, and that is because this is my version of the story. Hope you guys like it and continue reading. Leave a review and Cheers.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Pov: Satoshi**

I woke up and saw Ryuki staring at me with a pillow levitated above my head.

"Were you going to drop that on me?" I asked.

Ryuki shrugged as she offered me a hand.

She pulled me up and I packed up my bag.

'Students, please come to the front entrance of the school.' The overhead speakers said.

"Lets go." I said.

We began to walk towards the main entrance when we heard Yang and Ruby.

"Hey wait up!" They said.

We turned around to see Ruby and Yang walk up to us.

"Mind if we tag along?" Yang asked.

"No, come on." I said.

Ryuki spoke in sign and I translated.

"She's wondering how you guys slept." I said.

"Okay, I'd much rather sleep in a bed." Yang cracked her neck.

"Same." Ruby sighed.

"Who's ready for the initiation?" I asked.

"Hell yeah." Yang said as we walked around the corner to see the main entrance.

"Welcome students, you shall gather your belongings and report back in five minutes. Your items are in this building where they are stored in your personal lockers." Goodwitch said.

We all walked in and started to set up our gear.

Ryuki tapped me on the shoulder and showed me her chest plate. She sat on the bench and I started to set up her armor.

 **Pov change: Yang**

I watched as Satoshi helped his sister and I couldn't help but smirk.

"I'd love it if he did that to me." I said.

"Yang shut up!" Ruby said.

"Oh don't be jealous." I said.

"Me? Jealous? Ha!" Ruby said. "The day I'm jealous is the day I hate Crescent Rose."

"You know Ruby, there's more to life than just your weapon." I said.

"All I need in my life is Crescent Rose." Ruby said.

"Well you better not let Ryuki hear you say that." I said.

"What are you talking about?" Ruby asked.

"You may be blind, but I saw last night, when you were talking about how we need to be the good guys, she started blushing." I said.

Before Ruby could say anything, Satoshi and Ryuki got up and began to walk away.

"It's called love little sister, you should try it some time." I said.

"And you should give it a break some time." Ruby replied.

I chuckled as we walked close behind the twins.

 **Later**

"Welcome to the edge of Beacon Academy," Ozpin said, "today, you will be finding your team and partners for the rest of the time you will be spending here."

"What?!" Ruby yelled.

"You will each be individually launched into the forest and must try and find the relics that we have placed in the center of the forest. In addition, first person that you make direct eye contact with shall be your partner for the next four years." Ozpin said.

"WHAT?!" Ruby yelled.

"We will launch you in groups of five. Will the first five please step onto the platforms." Goodwitch said.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

Ryuki tapped my shoulder and when I looked at her, I saw her eyes start to turn pink. I knew what that meant. We walked onto the platforms and I felt my body begin to slow down. God I hate her semblance when she uses it on me.

She was launched into the forest an very quickly, I joined her in the air. From the normal eye, you would think I started to air swim towards her,but really she was pulling me towards her using her semblance, telekinesis.

We glided next to each other when she took out her bow and fired an arrow with a rope on it and hit the tree, allowing her to safely land. I pulled out my sword and slammed it into the tree's body and slid down the tree as Ryuki zip lined down.

I landed at the same time Ryuki did and she hopped in front of me and stare at me.

"I guess this makes us partners." I said.

Ryuki smiled and nodded.

We wiped off the pieces of wood and leaves when we heard more people being launched.

"We should start heading towards the center." I said.

Ryuki nodded and we were off.

As we walked, Ryuki and I had a "conversation."

"How was your sleep?" I asked.

'We're used to sleeping on the ground. The only difference was that it was warm and we had a roof over our head.' Ryuki said.

"Yeah, SO… how was Ruby?" I asked.

Ryuki punched me in the arm, making me chuckle.

'You tell her, I will kill you.' Ryuki said.

"I promise." I said.

We heard a rustle in the bushes and suddenly an ursa appeared and roared at us. I took my sword out and aimed right at the ursa when a sudden arrow exploded in front of its face.

I jumped up and sliced right down the neck and the ursa collapsed.

"Must've been a really new one." I said.

We heard distant gunfire.

"Any idea how far?" I looked at Ryuki. She just shrugged.

We continued walking towards the gunshots in the hopes that we are heading in the right direction.

Later

I looked up ahead and saw a small clearing with an old structure. That has to be it, right?

I hopped down and looked at Ryuki who was sleeping.

"Hey wake up." I lightly kicked her.

She glared at me and I helped her up.

'I hate you.'

"Thanks, there's a structure nearby and I think it's what we are looking for." I said.

Ryuki nodded and we walked over to the structure.

We walked onto the plain and saw that there seemed to be a massive fight. There were a bunch of feathers shot into the ground and a melting piece of ice in between some of them.

I walked up and felt the feathers.

"Still warm… this was recent." I said.

Ryuki tapped my shoulder and showed me a… chess piece?

"Where did you…"

Ryuki pointed at the structure and I saw that there were pedestals. And there weren't anymore of them, which meant one thing. The rules of Beacon… anyone who does not find a full group by the end of the day are disqualified from initiation and must leave Beacon.

I looked at Ryuki and she looked down and dropped the knight chess piece.

"We gave it a try, Ryuki." I said.

'I wanted to stay…' Ryuki said.

"Well, all we can do is get back to Ozpin and just leave with our heads high." I said.

Ryuki looked at me and nodded.

 **Later**

We walked up to the edge of the cliff where Ozpin and Goodwitch was.

"Welcome back. I see you have recovered the knight piece." Ozpin said.

"Yeah…" I said as I handed it to him.

He grabbed it and looked at Ryuki and myself.

"What's wrong you two?" He asked.

"Don't sugarcoat it. Ryuki and I do not have a full group. Just tell us that we are disqualified and we will return the armor and weapons." I said.

I waited for him to say those words, but instead heard him chuckle.

"That will be unnecessary, Mr. Suni." Ozpin said.

"Wait what?" I asked.

"You and ms. Suni shall be enrolled as a duo. This will allow you to stay, but you will not be allowed to participate in tournaments." Ozpin said.

I looked at Ryuki and she looked at me.

"Why would you break the rules for us?" I asked.

"I wouldn't say we are breaking the rules, more like bending them. And I have told you already. I believe that you two hold something truly special." He said. "Now then, it is getting quite late and Grimm are more dangerous at night. Why don't we head back to the academy?"

He and goodwitch began to walk back while Ryuki and I just looked at each other.

Ryuki never looked more happy in her life. She started jumping before running after the headmaster. I sighed and followed after her.

 **Later**

"Team RWBY shall be led by… Ruby Rose." Ozpin said.

Ryuki seemed pleased when we saw Ruby and her team, which was Weiss Schnee, that girl who helped Ruby, and… and Yang. She looked over at me and gave me a wink, making my cheeks heat up.

They walked back towards us to get off the stage, but on the way, Yang leaned in and said, "Hope we're close by."

"And now the last team." Ozpin said.

"You're up." Yang smiled.

"Good luck guys." Ruby said.

Ryuki nodded and I just nervously chuckled.

Ryuki and I walked up next to Ozpin and stood there. We heard some murmurs amongst the crowd.

"These two retrieved the gold knight piece from the ruins. They are going to be set up as a duo instead of a full team. I introduce team SR, led by… Satoshi Suni."

We stood there as people cheered for us. Ruby ran up and hugged Ryuki and Yang even hugged me.

 **Later**

Ryuki and I placed our bag in our room… literally only one bag. We both took off our armor and eyepatches.

"We're here…" I said.

Ryuki nodded.

"Ready?" I asked.

Ryuki nodded and held my hand.

'I think that this will be good for us.' She said.

I looked at her and had some doubts, but nodded.

"Ready to start school?" I asked.

Ryuki rolled her eyes and we both laughed.

 **Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Please leave a review of what you guys think of the story. Cheers.**


	4. Chapter 4

I woke up and saw Ryuki was already getting ready for school.

"Morning." I said.

She waved at me as she put on her school vest. She walked over and started pulling on my arm.

"Nooo…" I groaned.

I suddenly felt myself get sick and began floating.

"Ryuki…" I groaned.

Ryuki smiled and let go, making me slam onto the floor.

"I hate you…" I groaned as I got up.

Ryuki simply walked out of the room. I got up and got dressed before I followed after her. On the way, we heard the team RWBY dorm room sound like it was going under construction.

"Wonder what's going on in there." I said.

Ryuki shrugged and we kept walking.

 **Later**

We walked into class and took our seats. There weren't that many people so we just waited.

"Hello there." We heard.

We turned to see a girl with bunny ears looking at us. She seemed really shy.

"Hey there." I said.

'Hello.' Ryuki said.

"M-My name is Velvet. Velvet Scarlatina." Velvet said.

"Satoshi." I said as I looked towards the class.

Ryuki punched me in the arm.

"Ow what?" I asked.

'Be polite.' Ryuki said as she looked at Velvet.

'Do you understand sign?'

Velvet nodded.

'I apologize for my brother, he is a little tired. My name is Ryuki Suni and this is my twin brother Satoshi Suni.'

"It's nice to meet you both." Velvet said. "What happened to your eyes?"

'My brother and I got into an accident.' Ryuki said.

"Oh I'm sorry." Velvet said.

"Velv, come on class is about to start." We heard another girl say.

"Well, I better get back to my seat. I hope that we can talk more in the future." Velvet said.

'Me too.' Ryuki said.

When Velvet left, I leaned over to Ryuki.

"You need to be more careful." I said.

'You need to be more trusting.' Ryuki responded.

"I choose who I trust." I said.

'And that's by you only have me as a friend and that's because I'm your sister. You might also trust team RWBY, but not as much.'

I sighed as I saw the professor walk in. He was quite a… plump man and had an equally plump mustache.

"Welcome class to the class of warriors, boys and girls." He said. "My name is Professor Port. And…"

The doors burst open and team RWBY ran in.

"Sorry we're late!" Ruby yelled.

"That is fine, it is the first day. Just take your seats." Port said.

The others sat down and Ryuki waved at Ruby, who waved back.

"As I was saying, I am here to make all you men and ladies," he clicked his tongue at Yang, "what it means to become true huntsman."

'Asshole.' I thought to myself.

"Now then, the way you learn to become a great huntsman is that you learn from other huntsmen. How you may ask? Why, simply from tales of their bravery. Why I remember when I was a young man…"

I slammed my head on the table. This is going to take forever.

I heard giggling up front and saw Ruby was goofing off which was kind of funny. However, not everyone was enjoying it. Weiss was looking like she's gonna rip her head off.

"And though I reeked of cabbage, I returned home, the beast defeated, and my head held high. Now, who here believes that they have what it takes to be a true huntsman?" Professor Port said.

Weiss shot her hand straight into the air.

"Very well, face your enemy." Professor Port said as he reveals a cage with a Grimm in it.

Weiss walked away for a few minutes and came back with her combat uniform on.

"Go Weiss, represent team RWBY!" Ruby cheered.

Weiss didn't respond, besides rolling her eyes.

"Someone's cranky." I said.

'Really.' Ryuki said.

"Begin!" Professor Port hit the cage and a boarbatusk appeared.

The Grimm charged at Weiss, who jumped out of the way. The boar turned to see Weiss slash at the Grimm, to no avail.

"Ha ha, the armor is tougher than you may think." Professor Port said.

"Weiss, the underside has no armor, that's it's weakness." Ruby said.

"Stop telling me what to do!" Weiss said.

'She's just trying to help.' Ryuki said.

I nodded.

Weiss attacked but got her rapier trapped in the tusks of the pig Grimm.

"Oh ho, what will you do without your weapon?" Professor Port asked.

Weiss rolled over and grabbed her rapier, but as she grabbed it, the boarbatusk rolled towards her. However, Weiss turned and used a glyph that launched the boarbatusk onto its back. She jumped into the air and used a glyph to shoot herself right at the beast and impaled it with her blade.

"Bravo. Bravo. It appears we are indeed in the presence of a true huntsman." Professor Port said.

Weiss sighed and walked back over to her team and sat down.

"Now then, that appears to be all the time that we have. Remember, stay vigilant." Professor Port said.

We all began to head back to our dorms. However, before Ryuki and I left, we overheard Weiss and Ruby talking, but barely. It seemed that Weiss was upset with Ruby about something.

"Ozpin made a mistake!" Weiss said.

We pretended to be doing our own thing when Weiss walked out of the class and Ruby ran past us.

Ryuki looked at me and I sighed and nodded. She ran after Ruby while I started to head back to the dorm room.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

I chased after Ruby until we got outside, in the courtyard. Luckily, we were all by ourselves. Ruby was staring at the water as I walked up to her. I tapped her on the shoulder and she looked behind her shoulder.

"Oh… h-hey Ryuki." Ruby said.

I knew she couldn't understand sign, so I decided to use my scroll.

'Why are you sad?' I asked.

"Weiss said that I shouldn't be team RWBY's leader. She says that Ozpin made a mistake." Ruby said.

'Well do you think it is?'

"Huh?"

'Do you think it was a mistake to have Ozpin pick you as team leader?'

"N-No?" Ruby seemed confused.

'Then prove it. Show her how much you actually care about being team leader.'

Ruby nodded.

"Thank you Ryuki… I have a question though. Why are you being so nice to me?" Ruby asked.

'You remind me a lot of what I believe in. That the world has people who can change it.' I replied.

Ruby hugged me.

"Thank you for believing in me."

I felt myself begin to turn red before patting her on the back.

Ruby sprinted off and I heard clapping come from behind a pillar.

"Well done." It was Yang.

I waved at her and she walked over to me.

"I was gonna talk to her, but I guess her secret admirer did an okay job as well."

I quickly typed on my scroll.

'I don't know what you're talking about.'

"Hey it's cool, I just want to know something. Why is your brother so distant? He's cute but how can I tell him that if he is going to run off before I get the chance?" Yang asked.

'Let's just say that my brother and I know what it's like to live without food, warmth, and shelter. We were abandoned by everyone we have ever known. Over time, Satoshi just has slowly developed a distrust of both human and Faunus.'

"But if you don't give them a shot, then how is he supposed to trust again?" Yang asked.

'To be fair, we have given both sides multiple chances to be trusting and everytime, they have lied, cheated, attempted to kidnap and kill us. But… here, Satoshi has started to calm down. You were the first people he actually talked to, like genuinely talked to.'

"Huh… I guess that's a sign." Yang said.

We both chuckled a bit.

"It's getting late, why don't we all hang out tomorrow?" Yang asked.

I nodded.

"Well, I better get going. I'll see you two tomorrow. Say hi to Satoshi for me." Yang waved goodbye.

I nodded and waved goodbye as well before I ran back to my dorm.

 **Later**

I walked in to see Satoshi made some food and was working on homework.

"Hey, if you need any help with Grimm study, I'll lend you a hand." Satoshi said.

I walked over and sat down and opened my book.

"Hey…" he said.

I looked at him.

"I… I was thinking. I know that you want me to be more trusting towards others, but I think I need more time before I decide." Satoshi said.

This was like a miracle. Satoshi has hated both sides for so long based on our eyes that I never thought that he would even consider trusting again.

"Okay?" Satoshi asked.

I happily nodded.

Maybe this academy will change us.


	5. Chapter 5

**Pov: Satoshi**

Ryuki and I were grabbing some food and were looking for a spot to sit at when we saw Ruby wave towards us. We walked over and sat down.

"Hey. How are you two?" Jaune asked.

I just ignored them and started eating. Ryuki punched my arm.

'Tell them that we are doing okay.' Ryuki said.

"Fine… Ryuki says that we are doing okay." I said.

Ryuki sighed.

"So Satoshi, what're you up to this week?" Yang asked.

"Don't we have that field trip coming up?" I asked.

"Well yeah, but I was talking about outside of school." Yang said.

"I don't know, I guess nothing." I said.

"Well, would you possibly want to-"

"Ow!" We heard.

We looked towards the noise and saw that Velvet girl from a few days ago was being bullied by Cardin Winchester, the class bully.

"Please stop." Velvet said.

I watched and felt myself want to do something. I got up when Ryuki stopped me and pointed at professor Goodwitch who walked over and separated them.

I sighed and sat down.

"It's sad to see how both humans and Faunus can't all just get along in this world." Pyrrha said.

"Hmm." I said as I went back to eating.

"That Cardin guy is a real bully. Especially with you Jaune." Pyrrha said.

"What?! No he's not." Jaune said.

"Jaune, even I noticed. He put you in a fucking rocket locker and launched it." I said.

"It wasn't that far from the school." Jaune said.

"Just say the word and I will break his legs." Nora said.

Jaune chuckled lightly before we finished eating. We heard the bell ring and students began to head to their morning classes. Ryuki and I got up and started to walk over when I heard Yang.

"Hey Satoshi wait up." Yang said.

I turned around to see Yang walk up to me.

"Hey I wanted to ask you something." Yang said.

"What?" I asked.

"Would you want to hang out in downtown after school today?" Yang asked.

I just looked at her. She has been nice so far… maybe…

"I-"

"Team SR, please follow me to the headmaster." Goodwitch said.

We looked at each other before we started following. I turned around to see Yang. She seemed sad.

"Sure." I said loudly.

Yang looked at me and smiled.

"Meet me at the gate!" Yang said.

I sighed and looked at Ryuki, who had the biggest smirk on her face.

"What?" I asked.

'You like her.' Ryuki said.

I rolled my eyes and we continued walking with goodwitch until we reached the office. We opened the door and saw Ozpin talking with someone on the computer.

"I'll talk to you later, Ironwood." Ozpin said as he hung up. "Welcome you two."

'Why did you call us in, sir?' Ryuki asked.

"I wish to speak with you two once a month so that we may talk about your academics and about hospitality." Ozpin said. He extended his hand towards the chairs so that we may take a seat.

Ryuki and I walked over and sat down.

"Now, how has school been?"

"Fine." I said.

'I believe that I am learning a lot from most of the lessons.' Ryuki said.

"And how about classmates? Have you two made friends?" Ozpin asked.

"Yeah, I guess." I said.

Ryuki punched my arm.

'We are friends with Ruby and her team and Jaune and his team.' Ryuki said.

"Ah RWBY and JNPR. Very nice teams. And do any of them know about your… condition?" Ozpin asked.

"No." I said.

"Hmm. I believe that I have enough for today. You two are free to go to class." Ozpin said.

We nodded and walked out of the office to head to class.

 **Later**

I walked out of the school gates and looked around for Yang when I felt two hands cover my eyes.

"Guess who?" I heard.

"Do I have to?" I asked.

Yang chuckled and removed her hands. She walked in front of me and I saw what she was wearing. It was an orange shirt, a brown jacket, and black jeans. She had her hair combed and placed into a ponytail.

"Wow." I said.

"Hey, so where are we going?" Yang asked.

"I know of a cafe we can go to, it'll be a nice quiet spot to hang out at." I said.

 **Later**

We were at the cafe and Yang ordered us two coffees. We walked over and sat at a table outside.

"Thank you for the coffee." I said.

"It was no problem." Yang said. "Hey Satoshi?"

"Yes?" I asked.

"Why are you so distant from everyone?" Yang asked.

"I'm here aren't I?"

"I'm talking about with everyone else." Yang said.

I looked down.

"I don't particularly trust humanity. Ryuki has always even in our darkest times, but after the years of hatred towards the mere sight of us, I have gained that same hatred towards humanity." I said.

"But if you hate humanity so much, how can it prove you wrong?" Yang asked.

"It's had its moments. For example, you and your sister." I said.

Yang looked confused.

"Your sister when she fought those henchmen proved to me that there is good in the world. And you have been nothing but nice to Ryuki and I."

Yang seemed to blush at that.

"Well, anyone who Ruby called a friend is a friend in my book." Yang said.

I nodded.

"Oh shit." Yang said as she looked outside.

I looked and saw that it was almost dark.

"Come on." Yang said.

"Huh?" I asked.

She grabbed my arm and slammed some lien on the table before dragging me out of the cafe.

 **Later**

We were at this park that Yang knew about.

"Y-Yang, where are we going?" I asked.

"Right here to see… that." Yang stopped to point.

I looked ahead to see the sun begin to set. It was so beautiful and so perfectly angled.

"I… I've never seen something so…"

"Beautiful." Yang said.

I felt something wrap around my hand and looked down to see it was Yang's hand. I looked at her and she was smiling.

We continued watching as the sun disappeared from the horizon.

 **Later**

We walked down the corridor and we stopped at her dorm.

"This was fun." Yang said.

"I agree." I said.

I began to walk away when she grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

"Y-Yang?" I asked.

"Satoshi, I-"

The door opened and Ruby poked her head out.

"Yang! Get in here, I have a very important question to ask you." Ruby said.

Yang looked at me and I nodded.

"Okay Rubes, give me a second." Yang said.

Ruby shut the door and left us alone.

Yang looked down and let go of my arm.

"Well uh… I'll see you later." Yang said.

"Yeah, I'll see you later." I said.

As we walked away, I stopped.

'But if you hate humanity so much, how can it prove you wrong?' A memory of Yang said.

I turned around to face her.

"Yang. Remember when you asked me how humanity can prove me wrong?" I asked.

"Yeah?" Yang asked.

"I think that it is starting to." I said.

Yang smiled and winked at me.

"We should do this again soon." Yang said.

I nodded.

"Good night." I said.

"Night." Yang said as she walked back into her dorm room.

I walked down the hall and had conflicting thoughts.

'What if she is playing with us?'

'She is nice.'

'Remember the last person who was nice? No! Because no one is ever nice to us.'

'Yang is different.'

'She will leave you like all the other people who have 'helped' you and Ryuki.'

'But if you hate humanity so much, how can it prove you wrong?' A thought of Yang appeared.

'She is right.' I finally thought.

I opened the door to see Ryuki working on her studies. I walked over and sat down next to her. Ryuki looked at me and smiled.

'You seem happy.' Ryuki said.

"I think I am experiencing what happiness feels like." I said.

Ryuki smiled.

'Pleasant date?' Ryuki asked.

I nodded.

'Well come on and get to studying. Goodwitch is going to be in charge of the school trip and I don't want to do anything when we get back.'

I nodded and sat next to her.

Perhaps there is hope.

 **Hello everyone, I hope you all had a wonderful new year. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Please leave a review on what you all thought and as always. Cheers.**


	6. Chapter 6: Author's Note

**Hey guys this is just a little author's note. I was wondering what you all thought of the story so far. I am planning on making it across all of the volumes and maybe some additional chapters. Leave a review about what you guys think. Cheers**


	7. Chapter 7

I woke up and sighed. It has been about three months since we have been here. Everyone on team RWBY has tried learning sign language to understand Ryuki, which means that Blake, Weiss, and myself taught Yang and Ruby. They've actually made really good progress and managed t understand Ryuki for the most part.

Yang and I have begun hanging out a bit more, and every time I go, I come home with a smile. Ryuki has confessed to me that she has a crush on Ruby, but I don't think that she really knows how to admit it to her. I am helping to the best of my abilities since no girl, or anyone, gave me even a smile. Yang and I have gotten closer every "hangout" and every time, I feel this happiness inside me grow more and more.

Some interesting events happened recently. Jaune and Cardin seemed like they were "buddy buddy" which confused teams JNPR, RWBY, and SR. But then, during a school trip, Jaune suddenly becomes this badass and takes down an ursa all by himself. After that trip, we've been allowed to have some time to ourselves.

I looked over and saw Ryuki was already up and tying her shoes.

'Get up.' Ryuki said.

"Why?" I asked.

'Because it's our last few free days. It's Saturday and I don't wanna just sleep.'

I sat up and sighed.

"You are up to something." I said.

Ryuki rolled her eyes.

'How dare you accuse me of something like that. Why on earth would I ever wish to do something to my twin brother?' Ryuki said.

I got out of bed and put on my eyepatch. I didn't trust her one single bit, so I decided to go get some breakfast. I opened the door to suddenly have my vision turn white.

 **Earlier**

 **Pov change: Yang**

I snuck up with a pie that Ryuki helped me make.

"You are up to something." I heard.

I stayed still with the pie at the ready when I saw the doorknob jiggle. As soon as I saw the door creak open, I threw the pie.

I was laughing on the floor as I pointed at Satoshi, who just stood there as the pie slowly fell off of his face. He lifted a finger and wiped a bit off and tasted it.

"Really? Lemon?" He asked.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

I used a wash cloth to wipe the pie off of my face as Yang and Ryuki were still laughing.

'Got you.' Ryuki said.

I sighed and shook my head as I wiped the last bit of pie off.

"I'm just glad my outfit is safe." I said.

"So…" Yang flopped onto the bed next to me, "what do you wanna do today? Oh that reminds me. Ryuki, Ruby wanted to hang out with you."

Ryuki nodded and immediately walked out of the room.

"So? Since Ryuki is gonna be hanging out with Ruby today, why don't we hang out today?" Yang asked.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because that's what friends do?" Yang asked.

I sighed.

"As long as there aren't anymore pies." I said.

"Yes! I'll go get my wallet." Yang said.

I smiled as I walked out of the room behind her.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

I walked in to see Ruby was in her pajamas, listening to music. I snuck up to her and used my semblance to lift her headphones up.

"I may fall… what huh?! NO!" She tried to grab the headphones, but I lifted them higher so she groaned. "Ryuki…"

I lowered them and dropped them in her hands.

She turned around and sighed.

"Is this what Satoshi went through?" Ruby asked.

'No, just surviving.' I said so casually.

Ruby chuckled.

'Yang said you asked for me?' I asked.

"Yeah, I was thinking we could just hang out today. Weiss is too busy studying, Blake is… well Blake, and Yang wanted to be with Satoshi." Ruby said.

I nodded.

"Where do you want to go?" Ruby asked as she walked over to her drawer.

'How about… do you wanna train?' I asked.

"*gasp* YES!" Ruby ran into the bathroom to change and immediately sprinted out of the bathroom, ready to go. She grabbed my hand and next thing I know, I'm flying down the hallway with Ruby.

 **Later**

We made it to an open space about half a mile from the school. I had my armor on and my weapon in my hand. My hand carved bow had some improvements, thanks to Ruby and Blake. It can change from a bow to a staff by pressing a button on the right side and we arranged the arrows to be easily picked for certain situations.

Ruby and I were on opposite ends of the plain and readied our weapons.

"First to lose their aura gets cookies?" Ruby asked.

I nodded at her.

We both switched from happy to serious faces as we stared at each other before I quickly grabbed an arrow and fired an arrow with fire dust. Ruby quickly shot out of the way and shot towards me. I smirked as I grabbed an arrow with ice dust and fired at the ground, causing her to stop abruptly. I jumped over the ice and transformed my bow into a staff and struck towards Ruby, but she quickly blocked it and struck, but I blocked it. We both jumped back and transformed our weapons into ranged mode and both of us fired at each other and the arrow exploded as the bullet collided with the tip. Through the smoke, I slashed the air with my staff and heard the cock of Ruby's rifle. I suddenly saw a hole in the smoke as Ruby continuously fired her sniper. I ducked out of the way from the lone bullet that just barely grazed me, luckily my aura saved me from any injuries. I charged through the smoke to see Ruby was aiming right at me. I charged at her and she quickly fired and missed. I ran up and held my staff to her neck.

'Do you submit?' I asked.

"Never!" She yelled as she twirled on her feet and tripped me. I used the staff to balance myself when Ruby planted her scythe into the ground and kicked me back about three feet before I planted my feet down. I gripped my stomach and fell on one knee.

"Agggh." I groaned.

I heard Ruby stop and run over.

"Ryuki?" She asked.

I looked at her and smirked before I switched the staff to bow mode and aimed a fire arrow right at her.

I was about to let the arrow go when Ruby lifted her hands up.

"You win." She said.

I lowered my shot and placed the arrow back in my quiver and the bow on my back and extended a hand towards Ruby.

'That was a cheap move to pull for me. You win.' I said.

"Nope." Ruby said.

I rolled my eyes. Whenever she starts saying nope, she is done thinking about it.

"Now for payback." Ruby said.

Before I could even think about it, Ruby tackled me and we began falling downhill.

When we stopped rolling, Ruby and I were laughing so much, it hurt. I looked at Ruby who was laughing and couldn't think how cute she looked.

'Degenerative freaks of nature.' A thought in my head said.

'Someone should've just killed them when they were born.' Another voice said.

'FREAK!' A voice in my head said.

"Ryuki!" Ruby said loudly, which caused me to look at her. "Why're you crying?"

I wiped my eyes.

'It's nothing.' I said.

"Ryuki… you can tell me." Ruby said.

I sat down next to her and sighed.

'I just had some memories of when Satoshi and I were on the street. People who saw us would call us freaks and even try to throw stuff at us.' I said.

"I'm… so sorry that happened to you, Ryuki. You don't need to worry about that. You know that you have all of your friends now. We're practically family." Ruby smiled.

'No matter what?'

"No matter what." Ruby smiled.

We looked at the sky and saw the sky was beginning to turn orange

"Why don't we start heading back?" Ruby asked.

I nodded and when Ruby offered her hand, I grabbed it and pulled her down.

"AH Ryuki!" She yelled before she made a thudding noise against the ground.

I chuckled as we were even closer now and so was she. Our laughter died down a bit when we stared at each other.

"Ryuki…" Ruby said.

I started to Lena in when I heard a revolver go off what seemed like two feet away.

"I take it that training went well today?" Satoshi asked.

Yang was laughing next to him.

'You prick!' I said to him.

Ruby hopped up and grabbed Crescent Rose.

"Yang you know how much I hate it when you do that." Ruby said.

"That's what made it so funny." Yang said.

"Well, we should get back to our room. We need to study for one of Oobleck's quizzes." Ruby said.

But… no I can't…

'Oh crap. Satoshi let's go.' I said as we walked away from Ruby and Yang.

I felt my entire face turn red.

"So how was that for payback?" Satoshi asked.

I just responded by punching him in the arm.

I will get him back. Someday.

 **Hope you guys like this chapter. It was meant to be focused on Ruby and Ryuki in this chapter. Leave a review of what you think. Until next time. Cheers.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Pov: Ozpin**

I watched the screen as it showed the sparring match between ms. Suni and ms. Rose and I noted something that I found quite interesting.

"Interesting." I said as I sipped my coffee.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

I woke up to look at the time. It was about eleven o'clock. I looked at the bed and saw a note on the bed.

'Went out to hang out with team RWBY today. Go ahead and train or sleep.'

I sighed as I put the note down.

I grabbed my gear and walked into the bathroom to take a shower. I set my clothes down and took off my shirt to see what the world has done for me. What this stupid eye has done for me. I saw the scars all over my chest and shoulders.

Being born part Grimm… means Ryuki and I don't have any aura.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

I was walking down the streets with team RWBY. For some reason, Weiss was really interested in coming over here today. I was looking at the sky when I heard something behind me.

"Boo!" Ruby said as she shocked my sides.

I yelped as I jumped about three feet into the air. I turned around and glared at Ruby who was laughing on the floor.

'Ruby!' I said with an angry look on my face.

"Would you get up you dolt? We need to hurry." Weiss said as she walked past us.

I helped Ruby up and made sure that there wasn't any dirt on her. I looked over and saw Yang was holding a takeout box as she was talking to Blake. What piqued my interest was that it was from a restaurant that I know Satoshi likes. I walked over and nudged her.

"Hey Ryuki." Yang said.

'What's in the bag?' I asked.

"Yang got some chicken and shrimp ramen for Satoshi." Blake said.

"Blake shut up!" Yang blushed.

I placed my hands over my heart and acted like I was melting.

"Shut up before I tell Ruby." Yang said.

"Tell me what?" Ruby asked as she appeared next to me.

'Nothing.' I said.

"Guys come on." Weiss said.

'Weiss, why are we going to the docks?' I asked.

"Weiss, what are we doing here?" Yang asked.

"Ugh it smells like fish." Ruby pinched her nose.

"I've heard that students from Vacuo will be arriving by ship today. And, as a representative of Beacon, I feel as though it is my solemn duty to welcome them to this fine kingdom." Weiss said.

'Or spy on future rivals to gain the upper hand.' I said.

Everyone chuckled except Weiss.

"You can't prove that!" Weiss said.

Ruby stopped laughing and turned around.

"Whoa." Ruby said.

We all looked and saw police were taping off a dust shop.

We all walked over to see two detectives taking notes.

"What happened here?" Ruby asked.

"Robbery. Second one this week." The older looking detective said.

"They left all the money again." The younger detective asked.

"It's so odd… who needs that much dust? You thinking the white fang?" The older detective asked.

"I think we don't get paid enough for this." The younger guy said.

We began to walk away when Weiss scoffed.

"The white fang, what an awful bunch of degenerates."

"What's your problem?" Blake asked.

"My problem? I simply don't care for the criminally insane." Weiss said.

"The white fang is hardly a bunch of psychopaths. They are a collection of misguided Faunus."

"Misguided? They want to wipe humanity off of the face of the planet." Weiss said.

"Then they're very misguided. Either way, it doesn't explain why they would rob a dust shop in the middle of downtown Vale." Blake said.

"Blake has a point. They never did catch that Torchwick guy Ryuki, Satoshi and I ran into a few months ago… maybe it was him." Ruby said.

'That brings back memories.' I said.

Ruby smiled and nodded.

"Be that as it may, it still doesn't change the fact that the white fang are a bunch of scum. Those Faunus only know how to lie, cheat, and steal." Weiss said.

"That's not entirely true-"

"Hey stop that Faunus!" We heard behind us.

We ran back to the docks to see a guy with blonde hair and a yellow monkey tail jump off of the boat and leap onto a lampost. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a banana.

"You no good stowaway!" One of the sailors yelled.

"Hey! A no good stowaway would have been caught! I'm a great stowaway!" He said as he peeled the banana open.

That made me chuckle.

"Hey!" The detectives from the dust shop said as they appeared. "Get down from there this instant."

The Faunus' response was to drop the banana peel on the detecive's face before jumping off of the lamppost and beginning to run past us. While he ran past us, it looked like he winked at Blake.

"Well Weiss, you wanted to see the competition, and there it goes…" Yang said.

"Quick! We have to observe him!" Weiss said as she ran off. I decided to run right behind her, Ruby behind me, Yang, then Blake.

We were running around the corner when suddenly, Weiss bumped into someone and accidentally tripped me, making me roll a bit.

 **Pov change: Weiss**

I looked up to see the monkey Faunus run off.

"No, he got away…"

"Ryuki, are you okay?" Ruby asked as she ran over to her.

Ryuki nodded before getting up.

"Uh… Weiss?" Yang asked. She pointed down and I saw a strange girl was under me.

I yelped and jumped back.

"Salutations." The girl said.

"Um… hello." Ruby said.

"Are you… okay?"

"I'm wonderful. Thank you for asking."

"Do you… wanna get up?" Yang asked.

The girl seemed to think before nodding. "Yes."

She hopped up onto her feet with ease. Meanwhile, we all stepped back a bit.

"My name is Penny! It's a pleasure to meet you!" Penny said.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

I looked at the scrape on my hand when Ruby began to talk.

"Hi Penny. I'm Ruby." Ruby said.

'Do you understand sign?' I asked.

Penny nodded.

'My name is Ryuki.' I said.

"I'm Weiss." Weiss said.

"Blake."

"Are you sure you didn't hit your he- I'm Yang." Blake nudged Yang.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Penny said.

"You already said that." Weiss said.

Penny seemed to pause for a second.

"So I did." Penny said.

This was getting awkward.

"Well, sorry for running into you." Weiss said as we began to walk away.

We walked a safe distance from Penny when Yang spoke first.

"She was… weird…" Yang said.

'It was like that was the first interaction she has had with other people.' I said.

"Now, where did that Faunus riff-raff run off to?" Weiss asked.

Out of nowhere, Penny was in front of us.

"What did you call me?" Penny asked.

All of us were so confused and Weiss was looking back and forth from where we came from to figure out how she got in front of us.

"Oh, I'm really sorry, I definitely didn't think you heard me." Yang said.

"No not you…" she moved through all of us and was face to face with Ruby, "you."

"Me? I-I don't know. I, what I, um, uh…" she looked at me.

I honestly have no idea what happened.

"You called me your friend. Am I really your friend?" Penny asked.

"Uh…"

Ruby looked at all of us. Everyone was saying no. However, this girl reminded me of me.

I nodded my head.

"Y-Yeah sure. Why not?" Ruby asked.

The others fainted while I just watched what happened next. Penny seemed so happy.

"Sen-sational! We can paint our nails, try on clothes, and talk about cute boys!" Penny said.

"Was this what it was like when you met me?" Ruby asked Weiss and I.

'No.' I said.

"No, she seems far more coordinated."

'What are you doing here in Vale?' I asked.

"I'm here to fight in the tournament." Penny said.

"Wait, you're fighting in the tournament?" Weiss asked.

"I'm combat ready." Penny saluted.

"Forgive me, but you hardly look the part." Weiss said.

"Says the girl wearing a dress." Blake said.

"It's a combat skirt." Weiss said.

Ruby slid next to her and crossed her arms.

"Yeah." Weiss and Ruby high fived.

"Wait a minute," Weiss walked over and held Penny by her shoulders, "If you're here for the tournament, does that mean you know that monkey tailed… rapscallion?"

"The who?" Penny asked.

Weiss held up a poorly drawn picture of the guy. How did she make that and when?

"The filthy Faunus from the boat." Weiss said.

"Why do you keep saying that?" We heard behind us.

We looked and saw Blake.

"Huh?"

"Stop calling him a rapscallion! Stop calling him a degenerate! He's a person!" Blake said.

"Oh I'm sorry. Would you like me to stop referring to the trash can as a trash can? Or this lamppost as a lamppost?"

"Stop it!" Blake began to get even more angry.

"Stop what? He clearly broke the law. Give him time and he will probably join up with those other Faunus in the white fang." Weiss said.

"You ignorant little brat!" Blake said.

I looked at Ruby and she looked at me.

'Guys I-'

"Don't even try to talk Ryuki. I know now." Weiss said.

What did she mean by that?

"And how dare you talk to me like that. I am your teammate." Weiss said.

"You are a judgemental little girl."

"Why would you say that?" Weiss asked.

"The fact that you would associate that Faunus guy with a terrorist group solely based on his species makes you ignorant and racist." Blake said.

"We should get back to the room…" Yang said.

"Ooh where are we going?" Penny asked.

"So you admit that the white fang is a group of radical terrorists." Weiss said.

"That's not what I meant and you know it!"

 **Later**

We watched as the two argued more in team RWBY's room. Satoshi was hanging out with us now, all caught up thanks to Yang.

"I still don't understand the problem here." Weiss said.

"That IS the problem." Blake said.

"You realize that you are defending a group of terrorists who hate humanity right? They are pure evil!" Weiss said.

"There is no such thing as pure evil! Why do you think the white fang hates humanity so much? It's because of people like you!" Blake said.

"People like me?" Weiss asked.

'Weiss, you are being really offensive.' I said.

"I'm a victim!" Weiss yelled.

Weiss sighed and walked over to the mirror.

"Do you wanna know why I hate the white fang so much? It's because of my family name. The Schnee dust company has been a target for the white fang for years. They have had war. War, as in actual bloodshed. Ever since I was a child, I have watched family members disappear, board members executed, an entire train car full of dust, stolen. And that would make my father wry angry, which made it a very rough childhood." Weiss said.

"Weiss, I-"

"No!" Weiss said. "You know why I hate the white fang? It's because they are a bunch of liars, thieves, and murderers!"

"WELL MAYBE WE WERE TIRED OF BEING PUSHED AROUND!" Blake yelled.

We were all quiet.

"I…I…" Blake said before she dashed off.

"Wait Blake come back!" Ruby said.

Before anyone else spoke, I chased after her.

 **Outside**

I managed to follow her to the courtyard where she was staring at the statue. I saw her undo her bow and I noticed that it was just a ribbon, yet the points of the bow stayed on her head. I got closer when she must've heard me.

"Ryuki…" she said as she turned around. Saw clearly that she had cat ears. "Have you come to tell me to come home?"

I shook my head.

"Well why are you here?" Blake asked.

'I know what you are going through. You think that everyone is your enemy.' I said.

"Ryuki, no offense, but being homeless is different than being born a certain way." Blake said.

I walked up to her and reached my hands up to my face.

 **Pov change: Blake**

I watched as Ryuki grabbed her eyepatch and removed it before staring at me. I saw her eye. It was the same as a Grimm's.

"Ryuki…"

"Nice! I was wondering what you guys were hiding." We looked and saw that monkey Faunus from earlier.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

We were in town looking for Ryuki and Blake. Ever since Ryuki ran after Blake, she went missing.

"We'll find them both Satoshi, don't worry." Yang said.

I nodded.

"Thanks Yang." I said.

"I just hope they're okay." Ruby said.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

We were drinking some coffee when I placed my cup down. I stared at Blake and Sun.

'So… what do you wanna know?' I asked.


	9. Chapter 9

"Finally, she speaks. Well, sort of." The monkey Faunus, Blake and I learned was named Sun, said. It kind of took us by surprise that he knew sign. "A whole two days and nothing but small talk and looks from this one and just looks from you."

Blake and I looked unamused.

"Ryuki… I guess it's time I ask. Why do you have that?" Blake asked.

'When Satoshi and I were born, we were born with them. One eye each. Our parents abused us. The fellow kids bullied us and our parents would approve of it. Finally, they kicked us out of the house and we have been living on the streets ever since, until we came to Beacon. Satoshi and I are monsters hiding in plain sight, all thanks to one little patch.' I said.

"Ryuki…" Blake said.

"I think it looks cool." Sun said.

I chuckled.

'While it is cool, it also has its one down… because Satoshi and I were born part Grimm, we don't have auras.'

"Back when we we chasing Sun and you tripped, your hand got cut." Blake said.

I nodded.

"Jeez."

'Enough about me, what about you Blake? Why did you hide the fact that you were a Faunus?' I asked.

Blake set her coffee down.

"Ryuki, I know you do but Sun, do you know about the white fang?"

"Of course I do. I don't think there's a single Faunus who hasn't heard of them. Stupid, holier than thou creeps that use force to get what they want. A bunch of freaks if you ask me." Sun said.

I began to take a sip of my drink when Blake spoke.

"I used to be a part of the white fang." Blake said.

I spit my drink out as Sun almost choked on his.

"Wait a minute. YOU were part of the white fang?!" Sun asked.

"That's right. You could basically say I was born into it. Back then, the white fang was different. During the war, the white fang was a symbol of peace between Faunus and humanity. However, despite the promises for equality, the Faunus were treated terribly and that caused the white fang to step up and be the voice of reason. And I was there. I was at the front of every rally. I was at every single event. I thought we were actually making a difference. But I was just a young optimist. Then, about five years ago, our leader stepped down and a new one rose with different methods. Suddenly, our rallies became organized attacks, we set restaurants who didn't serve Faunus on fire, and hijacked trains from companies that used Faunus labor. The worst part… was that it was working. The Faunus were being respected, but not out of respect… out of fear." Blake said. "After that started happening, I left. So here I am: a criminal hiding in plain view, with the help of a little black bow."

Blake wiggled her ears lightly.

"Wow… so have either of you told your friends about any of this?" Sun asked.

Blake and I looked at each other before looking down.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

"Blake!" Yang yelled.

"Ryuki! Blaaaaake!" Ruby yelled.

"Ryuki!" I yelled.

"Ryuki! Blake! Where are you guys?" Ruby said.

Ruby and I turned to see Weiss seemed bored.

"Weiss, you're not helping." Ruby said.

"You know who could help? The police." Weiss said.

Ruby groaned.

"Weiss…" she gritted her teeth.

"It was just an idea." Weiss said.

"Yeah, a bad one…" I said.

"Weiss, I think that we should hear Blake's side of the story." Yang said.

"I think that when we hear you, you will all realize I was right." Weiss said.

"I think I need to have a chat with Ryuki about why she ran off." I said.

"And I think Weiss' hair looks wonderful today." We heard behind us.

We turned around to see Penny was right behind us.

"AH! Penny where did you come from?" Ruby asked.

"Hey guys. What are you up to?" Penny asked.

"Uhh…"

"We're looking for our friend Blake." Yang said.

"And my sister Ryuki." I said.

"Oh you mean the Faunus girl and the girl with the eyepatch." Penny said.

We all stared at each other.

"Wait how do you know about that?" Ruby asked.

"Uh the cat ears?" Penny pointed at her head.

"What cat ears… she wears a bow…"

We stood there for a bit.

"She does like tuna a lot…" Ruby whispered.

"So where are they?" Penny asked.

"We don't know. They've been gone since Friday." Ruby said.

 **Pov change: Ruby**

"That's terrible," Penny gasped before holding me by the shoulders, "Well don't worry Ruby, my friend! I won't rest until we find your friends."

"Uh, that's really nice of you, Penny, but we're okay. Right guys?" I looked to see Weiss, Yang, and Satoshi were all gone. "Oh come on."

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

We were walking down an alley when Sun began to talk.

"So what's the plan now?" Sun asked.

"I still don't believe that the white fang is behind these robberies. They've never needed that much dust before." Blake said.

"But what if they did?" Sun asked.

'What?' I asked.

"I mean, the only way to prove that they didn't do it, is to go to the place where they would most likely go to if they were to do it, and not find them there. Right?" Sun asked.

"The only problem with that is that we have no idea where to go." Blake said.

"Well while I was on the ship, I overheard some of the crew talking about this huge dust shipment coming in from Atlas." Sun said.

"How huge?" Blake asked.

"HUGE. BIG Schnee freighter." Sun said.

"You're sure?" Blake asked.

Sun nodded.

'Let's go check it out.' I said.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

"Thanks anyways. This is hopeless." Yang said as we came out of a store.

We saw Weiss was walking away, which annoyed Yang.

"You really don't care if we don't find her, do you?" Yang asked.

"Don't be stupid. Of course I care. It's just what she will say when we find her. The same goes with Ryuki." Weiss said.

"Whoa whoa whoa, what does Ryuki have to do with this?" I asked.

"Why did she run Satoshi?" Weiss asked. "It's because she's hiding something. The innocent never run."

I took a step when Yang grabbed my arm.

"Don't." Yang said.

I yanked my arm forward and Yang got in front of me.

"Look, we haven't slept well for the last two days. Let's just hope for the best and find them." Yang said.

I sighed and nodded.

"Let's keep looking." I said.

 **Pov change: Ruby**

"So Blake is your friend?" Penny asked.

"Yes Penny." I said.

"But you're mad at her?" Penny asked.

"Ye- well no. Weiss is." I said.

"Is she friends with Blake?" Penny asked.

"That's up in the air right now." I said.

"Why?" Penny asked.

"Well, you see, Blake isn't who we thought she was…"

"Is she a man?" Penny asked.

"No! No, Penny. She's… I don't know. She didn't really give us time to talk before she ran off. Along with… Ryuki." I said.

"Is Ryuki your friend?" Penny asked.

"Well… in a way yes… Ryuki is… a special friend to me."

"A… special friend?" Penny asked.

"When she 'talks' to me, she makes me very happy. I feel all warm inside when I'm with her." I said.

"It sounds like you have what others call a crush." Penny said.

I blushed madly.

"W-What?" I asked.

"I believe that what you have told means that you like Ryuki." Penny said.

"That's- well may- I mean I don't know…" I said.

"Well, if you like her you should tell her. Same with Blake. I don't have many friends, but if I did, I would want them to tell me about things." Penny said as she walked ahead.

I looked down and thought about what she said.

 **Later**

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

Blake and I were staring at the docks as Sun hopped next to us, holding a bunch of fruit.

"Hey did I miss anything?" Sun asked.

"No. They've offloaded a bunch of crates from the ship and now they're just sitting there." Blake said.

"Cool. Hey, I stole us some food." Sun said.

"Do you always steal food?" Blake asked.

"Weren't you in a cult or something?" Sun asked.

I shook my head as Blake stared at him.

"Okay too soon."

Suddenly, we heard the sound of a Bullhead and saw one go right over us and land in the center of the containers and a few soldier like individuals walk out of the Bullhead.

"Oh no…"

"Is that them?" Sun asked.

"Yes, its them." Blake said.

I placed my hand on Blake's shoulder to express my sadness for her.

"You really didn't think they were behind it, did you?" Sun asked.

"I think deep down, I knew. I just didn't want to be right." Blake said.

"HEY WHAT IS THE HOLDUP?!" We heard.

We looked and I saw that Torchwick guy from when Ruby, Satoshi and I met walk out of the Bullhead.

"We're not exactly the most inconspicuous bunch of thieves, so can you animals pick up the pace?" Torchwick asked.

"Something is wrong. This isn't right. The white fang would never work with a human. Especially one like that." Blake said as she stood up before jumping.

"Hey where are you going?!" Sun asked.

We watched as Blake snuck up and placed her sword to Torchwick's throat.

I couldn't hear her as well as Sun, but he said that she was asking why they're doing what they're doing. All of a sudden, two more Bullheads appeared and Torchwick used his cane to blow up the ground behind Blake and himself.

 **Pov change: Ruby**

I turned around to see an explosion and there's a good chance Blake and Ryuki are there. Which could also mean…

"Oh no…" I said as I ran towards the destination.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

Sun hopped down and foolishly got surrounded by a bunch of white fang soldiers.

I leapt into the air and pulled a fire dust arrow out and fired it at one side of the soldiers while Sun fought the rest.

"Oh for the love of…" I heard Torchwick said. "I see you got a little upgrade."

I turned and fired an ice arrow, which he dodged.

"He's mine!" Blake said as she charged at him.

I saw as Blake tried to land a few hits, but instead was being hurt badly by Torchwick. He delivered a punch to her face and Sun jumped in started to use his nunchucks that were also revolver like guns. I jumped in and transformed my bow into a staff and both Sun and I managed to get a few hits in before Blake delivered a slash that caused Torchwick to fall back. He looked up and fired at the crate above us. I quickly turned and pushed Blake and Sun back. I heard some gunfire on the other side, which means that they're fine but busy.

"Now just one vs one." Torchwick said.

I charged at him and flung my staff down but he dodged and hit me with his cane.

"I remember you. You were with that red brat. Didn't you have two eyes?" He asked.

I charged at him but he dodged and fired his cane and made me fly into the crate.

"Oh now I remember," he walked towards me, "you and your friend had weird eyes right?"

I struggled to get up when Torchwick kicked me in the gut.

He used his cane to move my eyepatch and smirked.

"Oh that's right, you had that Grimm eye along with the other guy." He said.

I spat in his face in response.

He sighed, grabbed me by the collar and raised his hand to hit me when I heard a familiar voice.

"Hey!"

I looked up and saw Ruby holding her scythe.

Torchwick immediately lost interest and dropped me.

Pov change: Ruby

"Well hello Red, isn't it past your bedtime?" Torchwick asked.

I looked and saw Ryuki was in pain.

"Oh don't mind that Grimm freak. I'll take care of her in a second." Torchwick said.

Grimm?

"Ruby are these people your friends?" Penny asked as she walked past me.

"Penny get back! AHHH!" I flew back as hit the wall.

I looked up to see Penny was angry and began to walk towards the edge.

"Penny… stop…"

"It's okay Ruby, I'm combat ready." Penny said.

When she jumped down, I heard the sounds of swords and gunfire. I looked up to see a Bullhead trying to shoot at Penny and instead was hit by a green laser. I looked over at Ryuki and saw her slowly begin to stand up.

"RYUKI LOOK OUT!" I yelled as I saw two bullheads began to shoot in her direction.

Ryuki turned around but suddenly, the monkey Faunus from earlier jumped next to her, picked her up and jumped out of harm's way.

I looked back at Penny as she used her swords, that were levitating somehow, to stick to one of the Bullheads that were carrying a dust crate. She flew back to the wall and began to pull the ship down. She gave one last pull and the ship was down.

 **Pov change: Roman**

I hopped onto the last Bullhead and sighed.

"These kids are just getting weirder and weirder." I said as I shut the door.

 **Later**

 **Pov change: Ruby**

I was standing next to everyone as the cops were investigating the area.

"You scared me." I said to Ryuki as she just sat there.

She didn't respond which was kind of worrisome.

"What the hell did we miss?" We heard.

We looked behind us and saw Weiss, Satoshi and Yang.

"Weiss, I know what you're thinking, but she explained everything. See, she doesn't have a bow, they're actually cat ears and they're kinda cute…" I said.

I felt a tap on my hand and looked to see Ryuki.

'Can I talk to you alone?' Ryuki asked.

I nodded and we walked to an area away from the others.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

'I am sure that you heard what Torchwick said about me…' Ryuki said.

Now that she mentioned it…

"What did he mean by Grimm?" I asked.

Ryuki sighed before she grabbed her eyepatch and removing it, showing me her eye. It was… wow…

"Oh…" I said.

'I was born part Grimm, and so was my brother, so we don't have auras…'

"Ryuki…" I said.

'I bet that you see me as a monster now… I just wanted you to know because… well… because I care about you and I didn't want you to find out on your own.' Ryuki said.

"Ryuki." I held her hand.

Ryuki looked at me with tears in her eyes.

I began to lean in and so did Ryuki when we heard Weiss.

"And as for Ryuki- wait where did she go.

We looked at each other and stepped back a bit.

"Continue this later?" I asked.

Ryuki nodded as she put her eyepatch back on and we walked back to the others.

"Ah there she is. I don't know what happened to you, but don't let it happen again. Got it?" Weiss asked.

'Yes mom.' Ryuki replied.

"I'm still not quite sure how I fell about you." Weiss said to Sun.

Sun nervously chuckled.

"Hey wait… where's Penny?" I asked.

We all looked around when Ryuki groaned and fell to one knee.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

Satoshi walked up and felt her forehead.

"She's injured. She must've lost her aura. I need to give her some medicine back at our dorm room." Satoshi said.

Satoshi looked at me and I nodded.

The two got up and began to walk over to the cop car that was taking people back to the school.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

Before I shut the door, Yang walked over.

"Hey Satoshi? Do you think we could hang out sometime after all this?" Yang asked.

I felt Ryuki hold my hand.

"Sure, just give me the time and place." I said.

"Really? Great, I'll let you know soon." Yang said as she ran back to the others.

I shut the door and watched as we drove away from them.

This school is weird. But I think it's starting to grow on me.

 **I hope everyone enjoyed and will continue to read this story. I will probably go through all of the volumes. As always, cheers.**


	10. Chapter 10: author's note

**Here's a question for everyone, shall we go just through the volumes, do should we add some chibi-like episodes?**


	11. Chapter 11

**Pov: Ryuki**

I woke up and had a smile on my face. I hopped out of bed and got dressed and looked to see Satoshi was asleep, so I quietly snuck out of the room. As I shut the door, I looked to my left to see Ruby was doing the same thing.

"Hey there." Ruby whispered.

'Hey Ruby.' I said.

We walked up to each other and hugged each other gently. It's been about two weeks since we have sort of admitted ourselves to each other on the docks and ever since, we have been trying to get closer.

"Where should we go?" Ruby asked.

'Anywhere you want.'

We began to just walk around the school grounds when Ruby asked me something.

"Ryuki, how is your wound doing?" She asked.

'They're healing slowly. Professor Ozpin has given Satoshi and I some medicine that gives us minor auras. It makes me a bit dizzy but it works.' I said.

Ruby looked sad. I quickly pecked her on the cheek and she blushed.

'I'll be fine. That fight wasn't my first scrap.' I said.

Ruby nodded and we continued to walk.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

I woke up and sighed. It's been two weeks since the events at the harbor and with Ryuki admitting to Ruby that we are part Grimm. We showed everyone else about a day later. Weiss was… skeptical about it, but got over it. Yang was pleased that she could be trusted to know about it.

I got out of bed when my scroll buzzed.

'Hey, wanna hang out?' It was from Yang.

'Sure. Let me get ready. Where should we go?'

'Movie?' Yang asked.

'Sure.' I replied.

I walked to my drawer and got dressed when I heard a knock on the door.

I put on my eyepatch and opened it to see Yang was wearing a black leather jacket, orange tank top, and jeans.

"Hey there." Yang said as she walked in.

"Hey." I said.

"What movie would you like to see?" I asked.

"I'm not sure. How about Lazerteam 2?" Yang asked.

"What's Lazerteam?" I asked.

Yang gasped.

"How dare you. I thought we were friends." Yang said.

"What?" I asked.

"Come on." She grabbed me by the shirt and dragged me out of my room.

"Y-Yang! I can stand!" I swung my arms around.

"Well I'm taking you to my room. This is your punishment for not watching." Yang said.

"Yang!" I yelled.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

Ruby and I were enjoying some time in the courtyard when we saw Sun walking by.

"Sup." Sun said.

"Hey Sun." Ruby said.

'How's school life?' I asked.

"Boring. One of my teammates annoys the hell out of me since he's afraid of water." Sun said.

Ruby and I chuckled.

"He's afraid of water?" Ruby asked.

"Yup. Well, I gotta get going. See you two later." Sun said as he left.

I felt Ruby place her head on my shoulder and I smiled.

Pov change: Satoshi

I was enjoying the movie with Yang. It was actually quite entertaining.

"Are you enjoying it?" Yang asked.

I nodded.

"Good." Yang smiled.

I felt her place her hand on mine and I started blushing.

"Satoshi?" She asked.

I looked at her and saw her begin to lean towards me. She reached her hand towards me and placed her fingers on my eyepatch.

I slowly nodded and she removed it.

I looked at her with both eyes.

"You look even more beautiful when I can see you with both eyes." I said.

"You're so cheesy." Yang chuckled.

She leaned in and pecked me on the cheek.

"But it's my type of cheesy." Yang said.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

We were walking back to the dorm after our little hang out when we heard behind us.

"Ruby Rose. Where on earth were you today?" Weiss asked.

"Weiss!" Ruby jumped.

'We were just enjoying our Saturday.' I said.

Ruby was blushing.

"And have you forgotten what is on Monday?" Weiss asked.

Ruby started to think when it all hit her.

"THE TOURNAMENT APPLICATIONS!" Ruby yelled.

"Let's go!" Weiss said.

Ruby knew that Ozpin wouldn't let Satoshi and I be in the tournament, so Satoshi and I were basically stuck with studying.

She quickly looked at me.

'I had fun. I'll see you when you're free.' I said.

Ruby kissed me on the cheek before she ran over to Weiss.

"Come on!" Ruby ran off with Weiss.

I waved goodbye to them when I began to walk back to my room.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

We were enjoying our day when Yang's scroll went off. Ruby called to report that she and Weiss were about to head over to the training room for the tournament application.

"I'm on my way. What about Blake? …Okay, I'll go get her." Yang said as she hung up.

"What's up?" I asked.

"I need to go. It's for the tournament." Yang said.

I sighed.

"Okay." I said.

"Hey, when we are done with the tournament, why don't we go dancing?"

"I'd like that." I said.

I got up, put my eyepatch back on, walked to the door, and opened it for Yang and I. We walked out and she locked it before we kissed each other goodbye and walked to our different destinations.

I opened the door to my room and walked over to my bed. Ryuki opened the door a few seconds after and did the same thing.

"How was your day?" I asked.

She made a heart with her hands.

"Same." I said.

'Let me guess, you didn't smile.' Ryuki said.

"Hey, I did." I said.

Ryuki stretched before falling down and staring at the ceiling.

I did the same thing before I decided to take a nap.

 **I hope everyone enjoys this chapter and is looking forward to the next chapter which will be volume 2.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Pov: Ryuki**

During the semester, headmaster Ozpin decided let us have two more teammates. Tatsumi Youkitou and Sidney Christina Alford. Tatsumi is nice and all, but he kind of creeps me out with all of his sexual perverted jokes. Satoshi already told Tatsumi that if he tries anything, he will break Tatsumi with his bare hands if he had to. Tatsumi admitted that he wouldn't try anything and that his jokes are merely jokes. He told us that he came here because he was removed from Haven after his jokes were reported to the headmaster. His semblance allows him to form dragon scaled armor.

Sydney on the other hand reminds me of Satoshi before he showed up. She hates literally everything except reading. The only difference between her and Blake is that Blake is a cat Faunus and Sydney is a dog Faunus. She has her moments when she is nice, but she doesn't really talk that much. She didn't tell us, but her info says that she used to live in Vacuo before she came here. Her semblance allows her to turn invisible.

Satoshi and I, or should I say I, slowly gained to trust them and Satoshi and I showed them our Grimm eyes. Tatsumi said that it was hot while Sydney just didn't seem to care. So now our team is team STRS for stars I guess. I felt as if we were a family after the time we've spent together. The reason why… we are all outcasts… but now we have a new chance.

 **Later**

Satoshi and I were having breakfast with teams RWBY and JNPR. Sydney was eating in our dorm room, and Tatsumi was having a workout at the training room.

Yang shoved some bacon at Satoshi who politely grabbed them and set them down, much to Yang's disappointment but quickly was back to smiling.

I looked around to try and find Ruby when I saw Blake was reading something. She didn't look too good. It looked as if she was having some trouble sleeping.

"Whatcha doing?" Yang asked Blake.

Blake quickly shut the book and looked at Yang.

"Nothing. Just going over some class notes from last semester."

"Lame." Yang said as she caught a grape from nowhere and gave a thumbs up.

I turned around to see Nora was laughing as she was loading another grape.

Suddenly, Ruby appeared and slammed a book on the table. It was obvious that Ruby "borrowed" it from Weiss since it said that it belonged to her.

"Sisters… friends… girlfriend… Weiss…"

"Hey!" Weiss said.

"Four score and seven minutes ago, I had a dream…" Ruby said.

"This ought to be good." Yang said as she caught another grape.

"A dream where we all come together, as a big team, and have the most fun we have had… ever!" Ruby cheered.

"Is that my binder?" Weiss asked.

"I'm not a crook." Ruby said.

"Honestly what do you see in her?" Weiss asked me.

'Her spirit.' I replied.

"Ruby, what're you talking about?" Blake asked.

"I'm talking about kicking our new semester off with a bang!" Ruby said.

"I always kick my semester off with a Yang! Eh? Am I right?" Yang looked around at our disappointed faces.

"No." Satoshi said.

Suddenly an apple hit Yang and we heard Nora yell, "Boooooo!"

"Look guys, it's been a good two weeks and between more exchange students coming in and the tournament at the end of the year, our second semester is going to be great! But, classes start up tomorrow! Which is why I've taken the time to schedule a series of wonderful events for us today." Ruby said.

"I don't know whether to be proud or scared of what you have in store." Weiss said.

'I'm sure that it'll be fun.' I said.

I watched as an angry Yang picked up an apple and threw it back at Nora but it missed.

"I don't know. I think I might sit this one out." Blake said.

"Sit out or not, I think that however we spend our last day should be spent as a team." Weiss said as she began to stand up.

"I got it!" I heard.

"I for one think-" Weiss was interrupted when a pie hit her in the face.

Pov change: Tatsumi

I was on my way back to the cafe when I saw Sun and one of his teammates, Neptune.

"Sup Sun." I said.

"Hey Tats." He said.

"Sun was just telling me about this fight he had with the white fang last semester. Man, that sounds harsh." Neptune said.

"I know, we were fighting side by side. She was super fast and I threw a banana at a guy, which sounds gross but it was awesome. The other girl was using her bow that became a staff and it was so cool." Sun said.

"Nice!" Neptune said.

"And that first girl I told you about, she's a Faunus. But don't tell anyone, okay?"

"Got it." Neptune said.

"And I mean it, its secret. And not, 'I'm gonna go tell Scarlet the second Sun turns his back secret,' I'm talking SECRET secret." Sun said.

"Whoa chill out man, don't worry. I got this." Neptune said.

"Same." I said.

"You better. These guys are the coolest. No offense to you guys." Sun said.

I just shrugged.

"None taken." Neptune said.

"They're just in here. I'm really excited for you to meet them. So be cool, okay? You're gonna be cool, right?" Sun asked.

Neptune made a stance and smirked.

"Dude." Neptune said.

"Good point." Sun said.

We opened the doors and we saw the chaos.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

I stared at the fortress of tables and chairs. At the top of it was Nora who was laughing.

"I'm queen of the castle. I'm queen of the castle." She said.

Ruby stepped onto the table, holding a carton of a milk.

"Justice will be swift! Justice will be painful! It will be DELICIOUS!"

Team RWBY and Ryuki made a battle cry as they charged the "fort." I simply just watched.

Ryuki and Blake charged at Ren in a pincer move.

Ruby attacked Jaune and Weiss was fighting Pyrrha. Yang and Nora on the other hand were fighting with turkeys and a watermelon on a stick?

 **Pov change: Sydney**

I was eating my tuna when I heard a loud noise. I looked outside to see Yang was in the air and that there was a hole in the roof. I looked down and saw as the windows were suddenly being covered by food. I rolled my eyes and sat back down.

"Idiots…" I said.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

"Nnng…" I groaned as I held my side. I may have gotten a bit careless and got hit by ten full grape sodas.

"Ryuki, are you okay?" Ruby asked.

I nodded my head.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hit you that hard." Pyrrha said.

I shook my head.

Glynda Goodwitch finished setting the last table into place before resetting her glasses.

"Children please… don't play with your food." She said.

We all chuckled when Satoshi walked over.

"We should head back." He said.

I nodded when I smelled my clothing. It was disgusting.

'I gotta head back.' I said to Ruby.

"Okay, I'll see you later?" Ruby asked.

I nodded as I pecked her cheek.

I got up and saw Yang hugging Satoshi.

"See you later." Yang said.

Satoshi nodded and we both walked past Sun and his friend and saw Tatsumi outside.

"Hey, ready?" He asked.

We nodded and walked back to the room.

 **Later**

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

I was in the shower feeling the water on my skin when I felt the pain return. I got out of the shower and looked at the mirror on the wall. My eye was normal, but I saw little black lines begin to move out of my eye. It was like my face was beginning to crack. When I blinked though, the lines were gone, but the pain was still there. I sighed and grabbed my clothes. I put them on and placed my eyepatch over my eye and walked out of the bathroom.

Hopefully I'm just imagining things…

 **Hope that everyone enjoys this chapter and look forward to the next chapter.**


	13. Chapter 13: writer's block

**I am having trouble deciding, so I am going to have the people decide. What should Satoshi's semblance be?**


	14. Chapter 14

**Pov: Ryuki**

Ruby and I were walking around the courtyard when we heard a loud noise come from the sky. I looked up to see a bunch of military aircrafts.

I tugged on Ruby's arm and pointed.

"Whoa…" Ruby said.

 **Pov change: Ozpin**

"Ironwood clearly loves bring his work wherever he travels." Glynda said.

"Well, running an academy and a military makes him a busy man… but yes, those are a bit of an eyesore." I said.

We heard a ping from the elevator.

"Come in." I said.

The doors opened and I saw our long time friend and ally, James Ironwood.

"Ozpin." He said.

"Hello general." I replied.

"Please drop the formalities," he extended his hand, which I shook, "it's been… far too long since we last met. Glynda! It has certainly been too long since we last met."

"Oh James… I'll be outside." She said emotionlessly.

"Well, she hasn't change a bit." Ironwood said.

I walked over to my desk and sat down.

"So what in the world brings you all the way down from Atlas? Headmasters don't typically travel with their students, for the Vytal Festival." I said as I poured a cup of coffee and offered it to Ironwood.

"Well, you know how much I love Vale this time of year. Besides, with you hosting, I thought that this might be a good opportunity for us to catch up." He said.

I poured myself a cup of coffee.

"I can certainly appreciate the quality time between friends, however a small fleet outside my window has me a bit concerned." I said.

"Well, concerned is what brought them here." Ironwood said.

"I understand that travel between kingdoms has become increasingly difficult."

"Oz, you and I both know why I brought those men." He said.

I sipped my coffee before setting it down.

"We are in a time of peace. This show of power is going to give off the wrong impression." I said.

"But if what Qrow said is true-"

"If what Qrow said is true, then we will take care of it tactfully. It's the Vytal Festival, a time to celebrate unity and peace. So I suggest that you not scare people by transporting hundreds of soldiers halfway across the continent." I said.

"I'm just being cautious." Ironwood said.

"As am I. Which is why we will continue to train the best huntsmen and huntresses we can." I said.

"Believe me, I am. But ask yourself, do you honestly think that your children can win a war? And what you sent me about the twins?"

"I hope that my students will never have to fight that war. As for the twins, we shall let them decide their own future." I said.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

I was reading a book about combat when I heard Ruby.

"Yang Xiao Long! Prepare your kingdom for battle." Ruby pointed.

"Bring it on!" Yang said.

"I deploy the atlesian fleet! Looks like I get to fly over your Ursai and attack your walls directly." She said.

"You fiend!" Yang replied.

"And since Atlas is part of Mantel, it'll only take my repair one turn." Ruby said.

Ryuki smiled as she patted Ruby on the back.

"Pretty sneaky sis, but you just activated my trap card! Giant nevermore! If I roll a seven or higher, fatal feathers will slice your fleet in half." Yang said.

"But if you roll a six or lower, the nevermore will turn on your own forces." Ruby said.

"That's a risk I'm willing to take." Yang said.

Yang grabbed the die and rolled… 9.

"Yeah!" Yang cheered.

I sighed and turned the page in my book.

"Nooooo!" Ruby cried. "My fearless soldiers!"

"Eh they were probably mostly androids anyways." Yang said.

"Goodbye my friends, you will be avenged…" Ruby said.

"Not until after I draw my my rewards. Which are double this round thanks to the mistral trade routes." Yang said.

"Bah!" Ruby yelped as she slammed her head on the table.

"What did you think Toshi?" Yang asked.

"It sounded like you did very well." I said.

I saw the book fly out of my hand and hit me in the head and I looked over to see Ryuki was glaring at me.

"You did a great job, Yang." I pecked Yang on the head.

"Thanks Ryuk." Yang said.

I felt my eye start to heat up again, so I decided to go get some sleep.

"Hey, I'm heading out." I said.

"Are you sure?" Yang asked.

I nodded.

"My eye's starting to hurt is all. I'm sure it's nothing." I said as I walked away from them.

I walked past Sun and Neptune as they began to walk into the library and started my journey to my room.

Halfway there though, I felt my eye begin to burn up again.

"Mr. Suni, are you alright?" I looked to see professor Goodwitch.

"Yes." I groaned as I held my eye.

"Mr. Suni, if you would please follow me." Goodwitch said.

 **Later**

We walked into the headmaster's office and I sat down. A few minutes went by before Ozpin showed up and sat down.

"Hello there mr. Suni." Ozpin said.

"Hello." I said.

"Glynda informed me that your eye has been acting… strange." Ozpin said.

I felt my eye heat up before answering.

"It's fine…" I said.

"Satoshi, I can tell that it is hurting right now." Ozpin said.

I felt my eye.

"However, I do not think that it is a simple pain, I believe that it is your semblance beginning to show." Ozpin said.

"I don't have a semblance…" I said.

"Not one that you know of yet. And I can help you if you wish." Ozpin said.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

"Ugh we should have never let him play!" Yang said.

"You're just mad 'cause the new guy beat you! See, if you just attacked when I told you to, none of this would have happened." Ruby said.

'She is kinda right. It was obvious that he was going to use that trap card.' I said.

"See? Even Ryuki agrees!" Ruby said.

"Stop." Weiss said loudly.

We stopped and saw her pointing at Blake.

"Lately you have been quiet, antisocial, and moody!" Weiss said.

"Uh have you met Blake?"

"Which I get is kind of your thing, but you have been doing it more than usual! Which quite frankly, is unacceptable! You made a promise to me, to all of us, including team STRS, that you would let us know if something is wrong! SO BLAKE BELLADONNA! What is wrong?" Weiss suddenly appeared on a chair and pointed at Blake.

"I just… I don't understand how everyone can be so calm." Blake said.

"You still thinking about Torchwick?" Ruby asked.

"Torchwick, the White Fang, all of it! Something big is happening and no one is doing a thing about it!" Blake said.

"Ozpin told us not to worry. Between the police and the huntsmen, I'm sure they can handle it." Yang said.

"Well I'm not! They don't know the White Fang like I do!" Blake said.

'Blake, one thing that is pretty obvious… we're just students.' I said.

"Okay, between blowing up nightclubs, stopping thieves, and fighting for freedom, I'm sure the three of you think that you're already to go out and apprehend these ne'er-do-wells." Weiss said.

"Uh who?" Ruby asked.

"But let Ryuki and myself be the voice of reason again. We're students! We're not ready to handle this sort of situation!"

"Well yeah but-"

"We're not ready!" Weiss said.

"And we may never be ready! Our enemies aren't just going to sit around and wait for graduation day. They're out there, somewhere, planning their next move, and none of us know what it is, but it's coming! Whether we're ready or not!" Blake said.

Ruby hopped to the center of the room and raised her hand.

"Okay, all in favor of becoming the youngest huntresses to single-handedly take down a corrupt organization conspiring against the kingdom of Vale… say aye." Ruby said.

"Yes! I love it when you're feisty!" Yang said.

"Well I suppose it could be fun." Weiss

'I would love to.' I smiled.

"None of you said aye." Ruby said.

I pointed at my eye.

"Yay!" Ruby cheered.

"Lets hatch a plan." Blake said.

"Yeah!" Yang said.

"*gasp* I left my board game at the library!"

"We're doomed." Weiss said.

"I'll be right back!" Ruby said.

I turned to follow her out. When we ran around the corner, Ruby slammed into someone. I ran up and crouched down to see if she was okay.

"I'm so sorry." Ruby said.

"That's okay. Just… watch where you're going next time." A girl with emerald green hair said as she extended a hand.

Ruby politely grabbed it and got up.

"You three are from Mistral, shouldn't you guys be in the East wing?" Ruby asked.

"I guess we just got… turned around." A taller woman said as she walked up. When I saw her eyes, my eye starting to sting.

"Ryuki?" Ruby asked.

'I'm fine.' I said.

"Can you help us get there?" The green haired girl asked.

"Sure, the wing is just east of here." Ruby said.

"Thanks, maybe we will see each other again at some point." The taller woman said.

"Welcome to Beacon!" Ruby waved.

Whoever that was… I have a bad feeling about her.

 **Hope everyone enjoys this chapter.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Pov: Ryuki**

I was sitting in class, "listening" to the lecture when I looked to my left to see Satoshi was gone. He was acting strange when we were in the library and when he came back to the dorm, he was really tired. When I asked him if he was okay, he said he was fine, but I don't think that was true at all. I felt something hit my shoulder and I saw Ruby was starting to fall asleep. I looked over to see Weiss was sitting next to Jaune, who was having things whispered to him by Tatsumi. Next to Tatsumi was Sydney who was reading a book.

"So, Weiss, you know uh, I-I was thinking after this, maybe we could go grab a bite to eat? And uh um I-I've got two tickets to that new Spruce Willis, if you wanna make the trip to Vale. I hear it's awesome. Aaaand maybe after that, we could study together. You're really smart and I'm… well, you know…"

We heard the bell ring and professor port seemed surprised.

"And then I- oh dear, I guess we have run out of time. Remember, stay vigilant." Port said.

"Weiss, did you hear me?" Jaune asked.

"No, no, no, yes." Weiss said calmly as she got up and walked away.

We all got up and walked past Jaune who was acting as if he just lost everything. Yang patted him on the back.

"One day." Yang said.

I grabbed Ruby's arm and pulled on her arm.

"What's up?" Ruby asked.

'I'm going to go ask Satoshi to join us on the trip.' I said.

"Are you sure?" Ruby asked.

I nodded.

"Okay, we're going to meet in an hour."

I nodded.

"Hey Ryuki, ready to head back?" Tatsumi asked.

I quickly pecked Ruby on the cheek before we walked out. As we walked out, we walked past team RWBY and suddenly Tatsumi and I saw Sydney stop and stare at Blake.

"Sydney…?" Tatsumi reached towards Sydney.

A loud growl quickly stopped him as she glared at Blake.

"Blake…" she growled.

"Sydney…" Blake growled back.

"Sydney, lets go." Tatsumi said.

I used my semblance to lock onto Sydney and began to walk away as I technically dragged her away.

"WHA- RYUKI!" Sydney yelled.

"Later Sydney." Blake waved.

Sydney barked at her as we walked back to the room.

I opened the door to see Satoshi was on his bed, thinking about something when he saw us.

"Oh hey you guys, why is Sydney floating?" Satoshi asked.

I placed her over her bed and let her go.

"AGH!" Sydney landed on the bed. "You bitch! You know that we get sick when you do it for that… oh god!" She ran into the bathroom and slammed the door.

'Satoshi, can I talk with you outside?' I asked.

Satoshi walked out of the room and made sure we were by ourselves.

"What's up?"

'I'm going out with team RWBY and I was wondering if you could come with.' I said.

"Like our team as well?"

'No, just us.' I said.

He seemed upset about something when I saw something on his eyepatch, a small black line.

I reached towards it and he stepped back.

"Okay, we can go. When are we meeting?" Satoshi asked.

I looked at the time.

'Now!' I turned around and ran with Satoshi as we headed towards the dorm room.

 **Later**

I knocked on the door and Yang opened up to smirk at Satoshi.

"Well, my knight has arrived." Yang said.

"Hey dragon." Satoshi smiled.

I rolled my eyes and walked past them to hug Ruby.

"Hey there Ryuki." Ruby smiled.

I nodded my head and sat on the bed.

"Alright guys, today is the day! The investigation begins!" Ruby cheered.

"I'm glad we are taking this so seriously." Weiss said.

I flung a small ball of paper at Weiss.

"Hey!" Weiss said.

"I mean, we've got a plan! That's… moderately serious!" Yang said.

"Right! Everyone remember their roles?" Ruby asked.

"You, Ryuki, and I will head to the CCT and check the Schnee records for any other dust robberies or inconsistencies. Seeing as I'm in the family, it shouldn't be a problem." Weiss said.

"The White Fang has regular faction meetings to hand out orders and recruit new members. If I can get in, I can hopefully find out what they're planning." Blake said.

"I have an old friend on the shady side of town that typically knows everything going on in Vale. Getting information out of him shouldn't be too hard. I can take Satoshi with." Yang said.

"Great! We'll meet up tonight near Yang to go over what we found. Let's do this!" Ruby cheered.

"Yeah!" We all looked at the window to see Sun.

"Sun?!" Blake asked.

"How did you get up here?" Yang asked.

"Ah it's easy, I do it all the time." Sun said.

I saw Satoshi grab his sword. I reached for an arrow when Weiss quickly spoke.

"You do what?!" Weiss asked.

"I climb trees all the time." He said as he jumped in. "So, are we finally getting back at that torchwick guy?"

"Sorry, Sun. We don't want to get friends involved if we don't have to." Ruby said.

"Psh that's dumb! We should always get friends involved. That's why I brought Neptune." He points out the window.

We all leaned out to see Neptune standing there.

"Sup." He said.

"How did you even get up here?" Ruby asked.

"I have my ways." Neptune said.

I looked down to see how far it is to the bottom.

"Seriously though, can I come in? We're really high up." Neptune said.

"Ryuki." Ruby said.

I nodded and used my semblance to pick him up and bring him in.

"Ugh…" Neptune groaned as he got up.

After discussing a bit more, we came up with a plan.

"Alright, I'll go with Weiss and Ryuki; Sun, you can go with Blake. And Neptune can go with Satoshi and Yang. Everyone good?" Ruby asked.

We all nodded when Weiss spoke.

"Actually, why don't we take Neptune?" Weiss asked.

"Nah." Ruby laughed.

She walked past Weiss and pulled her out of the room.

"But… but…" Weiss said as she was dragged off.

I chuckled as I followed them out.

 **Later**

We were in front of the CCT when Ruby showed how excited she was.

"Woooow! I forgot how big the transmit tower looks up close." Ruby said.

I nodded my head.

"You two should see the one in Atlas." Weiss said.

"That's the first one, right?" Ruby asked.

"Correct. Atlas developed the Cross Continental Transmit System to allow the four kingdoms to communicate with one another. It was their gift to the world after the Great War."

As Weiss spoke, I pretended to fall asleep, which made Ruby chuckle.

"What're you doing?" Weiss asked.

"Oooh, look at me! My name's Weiss! I know facts! I'm rich!" Ruby began to laugh into her hand.

"Don't be pests. Besides, the only reason we're here is because you like the tower so much! We could have just as easily made a call from the library!" Weiss said.

"I know, but it's so coool! Ooh, I'm going to take a picture! Ryuki come here!" Ruby said as she pulled out her scroll.

We got up next to each other and as she took the photo, I kissed her on the cheek. Weiss rolled her eyes behind us which we saw through the photo.

"So cute, let me just- oh shoot!" Ruby said as she dropped her scroll.

The scroll bounced down some stairs and hit someone's feet. They reached down to pick it up when we saw who it was.

"You dropped this." Penny said.

"Penny?!" Ruby asked.

"Uuuh…" she seemed concerned.

"Where have you been? We haven't seen you since that night at the docks!" Ruby said.

"S-Sorry. I think you're confused," she suddenly hiccups and tosses the scroll back into Ruby's hands, "uh… I've gotta go."

Penny quickly turned to walk away.

"What was that about?" Weiss asked.

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out." Ruby said as she began to follow Penny. I followed closely after her. "Go make your call! I'll meet up with you later."

As we followed Penny, I heard Weiss yell "Wait!"

We managed to make it in front of Penny.

"Penny! Where have you been? It's been weeks." Ruby said.

"There seems to be a… misunderstanding."

"What?! Penny… is everything okay?" Ruby asked.

Penny was about to walk away when Ruby grabbed her sleeve.

"Penny please stop! Look, I don't know what's wrong, but you have to listen to me! Those guys we fought at the docks, we think that they're up to something big, something bad! I need you to tell me what happened to you that night! Please… as a friend." Ruby said.

Penny looked at us and then looked around.

"It isn't safe to talk here." Penny said.

Ruby and I looked at each other in confusion.

 **Later**

"I wish I could help Ruby, but I don't know anything about those men." Penny said.

'Well what happened to you that night?' I asked.

"Yeah, we were all together, and then you just disappeared. Were you kidnapped?" Ruby asked.

"Oh no. Nothing like that."

"Where did you go then?" Ruby asked.

"I've never been to another kingdom before. My father asked me not to venture out too far, but… you have to understand, my father loves me very much; he just worries a lot." Penny said.

"Believe me, I know the feeling." Ruby said.

Ruby looked at me and remembered my past.

"Oh Ryuki I-" Ruby said nervously.

'It's fine.' I said.

"But why not let us know you were okay?" Ruby asked.

"I… was asked not to talk to you. Or Ryuki. Or Weiss. Or Blake. Or Yang. Anybody really." Penny said.

"No, it wasn't my father-"

We stopped when we heard megaphones. We followed the noise to a plaza where a holographic General dressed man was showing Atlesian knights. I couldn't hear too well from the noise. However, I saw the door behind the knights drop and a line of new Atlesian knights walked out and began to pose to the crowds. Then a giant hologram showed a huge machine.

"…The Atlesian Paladin!" The man said.

Ruby was super into the hologram, but Penny seemed nervous.

"Ruby?" Penny asked.

"Whoa…"

"Ruby… maybe we should go somewhere else." Penny backed up.

I was looking and saw two soldiers look in our direction and mumble to each other.

Penny then turned around and ran.

"Penny! Wait! Where are you going?" Ruby asked.

Ruby and I looked at each other and looked at the crowd to see the soldiers heading for us.

We turned and ran after Penny.

"Down here! She went this way!" The soldier yelled.

We ran across a street and car came to a stop after Penny. I slid over the hood and Ruby jumped over. The car drove off and a separate car stopped one of the soldiers.

We ran down the alley and saw a stack of crates and metal pipes. I took my bow and fired a fire arrow while Ruby sliced the supports, causing the crates and pipes to land behind us.

"This way!" Ruby held my hand and Penny's hand before we flew down the alley. As we were going, I saw Ruby get exhausted and let go. We all rolled across the ground. I looked up and saw Ruby in the middle of the street. As my sense came to me, I heard a car horn heading right for her. I saw her slowly get up, but it wasn't going to be in time. I raised my hand to stop the car, but before I could, Penny pushed Ruby out of the way and held her hands out to stop the car. We heard a loud noise and I saw Penny had actually stopped the car. Ruby seemed as confused as everyone.

"Are you okay?" Penny asked the driver.

Penny looked around to see all the people stare at her before she turned to run.

"Wait Penny come back!" Ruby said as she chased after Penny. I got up and followed them.

We managed to catch up and stop her.

"Uh… uh…"

"Penny… please… what is going?! Why are you running?! How did you do that?!"

Penny seemed very nervous.

"I can't. E-Everything is fine. I-I don't want to talk about it." She hiccuped.

"Penny, if you can tell mr what's wrong, I can help you." Ruby said.

"No, no, no. You wouldn't understand…" Penny said.

"Let us try. You can trust us." Ruby said.

"You're both my friends right? You promise you're my friends?"

I nodded my head.

"We promise." Ruby said.

Penny extended her hands and we saw where there should have been bone and blood, was scratched metal and machine.

"I'm not a real girl…" Penny said.

My eyes widened as I looked at Ruby.

"Oh…" Ruby said.


	16. Chapter 16

"Penny, I-I don't understand..." Ruby said.

"Most girls are born, but I was made. I'm the world's first synthetic person capable of generating an Aura. I'm not real..." Penny looked really sad.

Ruby looked at me as I placed a hand on Penny's shoulder.

'You are real.' I said.

"Really?" Penny asked.

"Yeah, of course you are. You think just because you've got nuts and bolts instead of squishy guts makes any less real than me or Ryuki?" Ruby asked.

"I don't… um… you two are… taking this extraordinarily well." Penny said.

"You're not like those things we saw back there. You've got a heart, and a soul' I can feel it." Ruby said.

I smiled at Ruby as she said that.

'Maybe she can talk to Satoshi and convince him that humans and Faunus can be trusted.' I thought to myself.

Penny hugged us tightly.

"Oooh you two! You're the bestest friends anyone could have." Penny said.

"I can see why your father would want to protect such a delicate flower." Ruby groaned.

I couldn't move my hands to speak, so I groaned.

"Oh, he's very sweet. My father's the one who built me. I'm sure you would love him." Penny said.

"Wow… he built you all by himself?" Ruby asked.

"Well, almost. He had some help from Mr. Ironwood."

'The Atlesian military General?!' I asked.

"The general?! Wait… is that why the soldiers were after you?" Ruby asked.

"They like to protect me, too." Penny said.

"They don't think you can protect yourself?" Ruby scoffed.

"They're not sure if I'm ready yet… one day, it will be my job to save the world, but I still have a lot left to learn. That's why my father let me come to the Vytal Festival. I want to see what it's like in the rest of the world, and test myself in the tournament." Penny said.

"Penny, what are you talking about? Save the world from what? We're in a time of peace." Ruby said.

"That's not what Mr. Ironwood said…" Penny said.

"Check down here." We heard a soldier say.

Penny quickly picked Ruby up and grabbed me by the arm.

"You two have to hide." Penny said.

"Penny wait! What're you doing? You don't have to go with them! We can help you." Ruby said.

Penny threw Ruby and I effortlessly into a dumpster and left the lid open enough to talk.

"It's okay, Ruby. They're not bad people; I just don't want to get you two in trouble. Just promise you won't tell anyone else my secret. Okay?" Penny asked.

Ruby and I nodded.

"We promise." Ruby said.

Penny shut the lid but we can still hear the soldiers and Penny.

"There she is!"

"Salutations, officers." Penny said.

"Why were you running? And what happened to the other girls?"

"What other girls? I was by myself all day." Penny hiccuped.

"You shouldn't cause a scene."

"Are you okay?"

"Just a scratch." Penny said.

"Penny, your father isn't going to be happy about this."

"Please, just come with us."

"Yes sir." Penny said.

Ruby sighed.

"That was clo-" I interrupted her by punching her shoulder.

"Ow." Ruby said as she looked at me.

I had tears in my eyes.

'You idiot…' I couldn't use sign anymore, so I just hugged her.

She seemed to understand and hugged me back.

"I'm sorry." Ruby said.

We stayed there for a while.

 **Later**

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

As we pulled up to the curb, I let go of Yang's waist and looked behind me to see Neptune, who had a dizzy look on his face.

"Come on, my friend's right in here." Yang said.

"Cool…" Neptune said before coming back to the real world, "and where exactly is… here?"

"Junior…" I said as that brought back an uncomfortable memory.

"You know him?" Yang asked.

"I wish I didn't." I said as I walked in.

Yang followed close behind.

As we walked in, we saw two henchmen.

"Hey where do you kids think you're going?" One of them asked.

"Gotta talk to Junior." I said.

"As if we'd just let you in." The other said.

They then saw Yang turn the corner and turn pale.

"Hey Yang, I don't think they know who we are." I said.

Yang smirked and pumped her gauntlets while I pulled out my sword and added some electric dust.

 **Pov change: Junior**

I was cleaning a glass when I heard my henchmen run in and shut the doors behind them.

"What're you idiots doing?!" I yelled.

They yelling over the music that 'they're here' before the doors burst open and I saw two familiar figures walk in.

Pov change: Satoshi

"Guess who's back?!" Yang asked with a smile on her face.

Immediately, about seven or eight guns were in our faces.

Yang's smile faded and a glare appeared.

"Uh can you define 'friend' to me?" Neptune asked.

"Stop. Stop. Nobody shoot." We heard.

Junior slowly pushed himself through the guards and saw us.

"Blondie, you're here," he then saw me, "and YOU'RE here. Why?"

"You still owe me a drink." Yang walked past Junior and grabbed him by the arm.

"Whoa ho ho ho… what a woman…" Neptune said before seeing the Malachite sisters, "sup."

"Hmph. Whatever." They both said.

"I'll be outside." I said as I walked out.

"Hey wait up." Neptune said as he followed me out.

We walked out and Neptune grabbed me by the arm.

"Hey what's up?" He asked. "You've been acting strange all day."

"This place isn't my favorite." I said.

"Because it's shady?" Neptune asked.

"Because this area is where Ryuki and I lived." I said.

Neptune seemed surprised by that.

"Something you don't know about Ryuki and I, we aren't rich. We were homeless. We were treated like garbage. Then we found Junior's club and he was willing to let us work there if Ryuki would be an 'entertainer.'" I said.

"Oh…" Neptune said.

"When he said that, I refused immediately and we may or may not have ended the discussion with a fight." I said.

I felt my eye heat up as I said that story.

"I'm gonna head back in just to make sure Yang is okay." Neptune said.

I nodded to Neptune as he went back inside. When I was alone, I looked at my hand and saw the black lines have moved from my eye to my hand. As I saw the marks, I recalled the training sessions I have been having with professor Ozpin.

 **In the past**

"Again." Ozpin said.

Ozpin told me that my semblance can be unlocked if I think about things that make me angry. So for the last two weeks, I have been pushing myself to my limit to unlock my semblance. It felt like I was mentally cracking my head open…

"RRRRRRAAAGGHH!" I felt my hands burn as I tried to unlock my semblance before I collapsed to my knees.

"Better. However, you have still not unlocked it yet." Ozpin said.

"IF YOU KNOW WHAT MY SEMBLANCE IS, TELL ME!" I yelled.

"That would spoil the enjoyment." Ozpin said. "Again."

I got up and tried again.

I tried to focus hard again and felt my arms begin to burn again.

'Freaks! Grimm bastards!' I heard in my head.

I felt my hands begin to bleed from my nails piercing the skin but I had to keep going.

I yelled in pain and anger as I felt my hands suddenly bend and morph.

 **Present**

I snapped back when felt a hand touch my shoulder. As soon as I felt the contact, I turned and aimed my fist when I saw it was Yang.

"You okay?" Yang asked.

"Y-Yeah. I thought I saw something." I said.

"Well, we got everything we can. Hopefully the rest of the team is having better luck." Yang said.

Almost on cue, we heard our scrolls going off.

'Everyone! If you can hear me, we need back-' Blake said over the scroll.

'HEEEELLLLP!' Sun yelled.

'Big robot! And it's big! Really big!'

'Oh, I am not missing this! Come on Ryuki!' Ruby said over the scroll

'That Torchwick guy is in it! But not, like, it didn't eat him; he's, like, controlling it or something!' Sun said.

"Where are you guys?" Yang asked.

As she asked, we heard a giant machine behind us and Sun yelling, "HUUURRRRYYY!"

"I think that was them."

"Yeah, I got it!" Yang said.

"Your bike will be too slow with the three of us! I know my way around here! Go!" I said.

Yang hated to leave me but nodded and drove off.

I quickly turned and ran to the nearest building and climbed the building easily and saw the robot. Since the highway was a short jump away, I jumped up and landed on a car as it drove towards the robot.

"That's my boy!" I heard behind me. I looked and saw Yang giving me a peace symbol. I jumped across multiple cars to keep up.

"We gotta slow it down!" I said.

"I'm on it!" Neptune pulled out his gun and put on his goggles. However, the robot started to purposely knock cars behind itself in our direction. I jumped out of the way and managed to keep up.

Neptune managed to fire a couple shots before he switched the gun into a spear before leaping onto the robot and stabbing it.

"Neptune hang on!" Sun yelled.

I don't know what happened but suddenly I saw two golden figures explode, but before I could react, Sun jumped in the air with his staff but was slammed by the robot and hit Neptune off of the highway.

'Guys! I'm in position!'

I saw Weiss jump down from a high road and form a circle of ice, causing the robot to slip off of the highway. I jumped down and landed to see Ruby and Ryuki next to me.

"Where have you guys been?" I asked as I took out my sword.

"Oh you know, places." Ruby said.

The other members of team RWBY landed next to us as the robot got back up.

"Ready?" I asked.

"Freezerburn." Ruby said.

Weiss made a circle of ice and Yang smashed it which made the area have a fog.

We jumped out of our original spots and got into position.

Ruby charged at Torchwick and caused the robot to falter. Ryuki and I then used our ranged weapons to fire explosive rounds and arrows at the main part of the mech.

"Checkmate!" Ruby yelled.

Weiss and Blake hit the mech's feet before they both jumped back. Torchwick fired misses at them but Weiss formed a clock under Blake and managed to suddenly cause all the missles to blow up midair.

"Ladybug!" Ruby yelled.

Before we could even tell whatever happened, the mech lost its arm. Yang suddenly jumped onto the mech's back and begins to punch furiously into the armor. However, the mech then slammed her against two columns, leaving her embedded in the column. As she was beginning to fall, the mech turned and punched her about twenty feet.

"YANG!" I watched as she landed.

I looked down and saw my arms cover with black lines before I heard Ruby.

"Its okay. With every hit she gets stronger, and she uses that energy to fight back!" Ruby said.

I saw Yang get back up and her hair seemed to glow. The mech charged a fist at Yang but she caught it with one hand and then smashed the second arm with her other hand.

As they fought, I saw my arms begin to go back to normal. I looked at Ryuki and she seemed shocked. But there was no time to talk.

"Bumblebee!" Ruby yelled.

Blake threw her weapon at Yang and began to spin in a circle. However, they missed the mech.

"We need to slow it down!" Ruby yelled.

Ryuki and I nodded.

We began to open fire with ice rounds and arrows while Ruby and Weiss were doing a team attack.

"Again!" Ruby yelled.

Blake and Yang performed their attack again and managed to practically shatter the mech, causing Torchwick to roll across the ground.

"Just got this thing cleaned…" Torchwick muttered to himself.

Ryuki and I jumped down as Yang fired a blast at Torchwick. However before it could hit, someone jumped in front of him and deflected the attack with an umbrella. She had pink and brown hair as well as eyes. She gave us a bow as Torchwick spoke.

"Ladies, gentleman, ice queen…" he said.

"Hey!" Weiss said.

"Always a pleasure. Neo, if you would…"

Yang charged at them but as she hit them, they shattered into glass.

"So I guess he got a new henchman..." Yang said.

"Yeah, I guess she really made our plans... fall apart!" Weiss said.

We just stared at her.

"No. Just... no." Yang said.

"What- But, you do it!" Weiss said annoyed.

"There's a time and a place for jokes." Yang said.

"Was this not it?" Weiss asked

"No, it just wasn't very good." Yang said as she pecked me on the cheek and blinked her eyes back to lavender.

"Well, at least I'm trying!" Weiss said.

"Wait... Where are Sun and Neptune?" Ruby asked as she hugged Ryuki.

"I'm sure they're fine." I said.

"Well let's head back." Ruby said.

"I need to talk to Ryuki about something. Go on ahead you guys." I said.

Ruby pecked Ryuki on the cheek before she ran off with team RWBY.

"On the roof." I said.

She nodded and we ran up the side of the building to get to a safe distance from the team.

I walked a bit ahead when a pebble hit my shoulder. I turned around to see her looking at my hands.

'What was that?' She asked.

I sighed.

"I was going to tell you when I was done training…" I said, "but now you know…"

I looked down to see the dark black lines surge across my arms.

"This… is my semblance." I said.

She looked at them with confusion.

"I don't know how but it happens when I get angry. Very angry." I said.

'How?' Ryuki asked.

"Ozpin." I said.

She walked up and hugged me. She looked at me and nodded her head.

"Lets head back." I said.

 **Pov change: Ozpin**

I sat down at my desk and grabbed an old book.

'The Story of the Boy Who Became A Grimm'

I watched the videos of his training and sighed.

"I hope that the story doesn't happen…"

 **Pov change: Sydney**

I heard a knock on our door and opened it to see our leader and his sister.

"The hell happened to you two? Actually, I don't care." I said as I hopped back into bed.

Satoshi and Ryuki hopped in and we all fell asleep.


	17. Chapter 17

**Pov: Satoshi**

I sat in Ozpin's office and listened to the cogs turn under me. I looked at my arms and bundled my hands into fists.

"Hello Mr. Suni. I believe that you have something to tell me." Ozpin said.

I nodded.

"I think that I have unlocked my semblance." I said.

He nodded and observed my arms.

"Possibly. How do you feel?" He asked.

"I definitely feel stronger." I said.

"I would like to see you weekly to train you personally on your semblance." Ozpin said.

"Weekly?!" I asked.

"I wish to understand how your semblance works." Ozpin said.

I hated the idea of coming EVERY week, but I guess I had no choice.

"Okay." I said.

"Great, I hope that you have a wonderful rest of the day." He said.

 **Later**

I was walking back to my room when I felt a sting in my arm. I looked down to see the black lines show up but quickly vanished.

"What the-"

"Satoshi." I looked up to see Yang. She seemed upset about something.

"Hey, what's up?" I asked.

"Can you come with me? Blake has been acting strange and we need all of her friends to talk with her." Yang said.

I nodded and followed her. As we walked, she held my hand.

"So, how was the meeting with ozpin?" Yang asked.

"Boring as usual… I have to come in every week now." I said.

"What? But what about this weekend?" Yang asked.

"What's this weekend?" I asked.

"You did not just ask me that." Yang said.

"Uh…" I thought for a bit.

"It's the dance!" Yang said.

"Oh… yeah I definitely have a suit for that." I said.

"You're lucky that you're cute AND the male students get suits from the school sent to them." Yang said.

I dodged a bullet, a REALLY close bullet.

"So what's going on with Blake?" I asked.

"Well…" Yang said as we showed up.

"You what?!" Blake asked behind the door.

"I should just show you." Yang said as she opened the door.

"We want you to go to the dance." Ruby said.

'It'll be fun.' Ryuki said.

"That's ridiculous." Blake said.

"Blake, we're worried about you. This investigation is starting to mess with your head." Yang said.

"You can't sleep, you hardly eat, and to be honest, your grades have been suffering." Weiss said.

"Blake, to be honest, they're right. You haven't been doing too well." I said.

"You think I care about grades? People's lives are at stake!" Blake asked, pointing at the window.

Yang walked up and put her hand on Blake's hand, lowering it.

"We know, and we're also trying to figure out what Torchwick is up to." Yang said.

"Thanks to you and Sun, we know that they're operating somewhere outside of southeast Vale." Ruby said.

"And the Schnee company records singled out Vale as the primary target for Dust robberies over the last few months." Weiss said.

"Don't forget about their missing military tech too." Yang said.

"But there's still unanswered questions!" Blake said.

"Yes, but we won't be able to answer those questions if we're too exhausted or hungry to even think." I said.

"Blake, Satoshi is right. You won't be able to find anything if you can't even keep your eyes open!"

"All we're asking is that you take it easy for one day." Yang said.

"It will be fun! Yang and I will make sure of it." Weiss said.

"Excuse me?" Blake asked.

"Team CFVY's away mission lastedquite longer than expected." Weiss said.

"So, Weiss and I decided to pick up where they left off. And now we can make sure you can have the perfect night." Yang said.

"And once it's all over, we'll return for our search, rested and ready." Weiss said.

"So what do ya think?" Ruby asked.

Blake looked at us with a glare on her face.

"I think this is a colossal waste of time." Blake said.

Blake walks away from the group and opens the dorm door.

"I'll be in the library." Blake said as she left.

"Great."

"She can't keep going on like this."

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door and Weiss approaches to open it. When she does, we saw it was Jaune and Tatsumi at the door. Jaune was with a guitar.

"Weiss!" He sang.

Weiss slams the door in his face.

"Oh, come on, open the door! I promise not to sing." Jaune said.

Weiss rolled her eyes and opened the door.

"I lied! Weiss Schu-nee, will you accompany me, to the dance on… Sunday." Jaime said.

"Are you done?" Weiss asked.

"Yes?" Jaime asked.

"No," Weiss shut the door an dturned around to see all of us give her a look, "what?"

'And that is why they call you the Ice Queen.' Ryuki said.

"All my life, boys have only cared about the perks of my last name. Besides, I already have a date in mind." Weiss said.

"Date or no date, none of this will matter if we can't get Blake to go." Ruby said.

Ryuki sat next to Ruby and laid down next to her.

"I'm sure everything will be fine." I said.

 **Pov change: Cinder**

"We have Pyrrha Nikos." Emerald said.

"Ah, the invincible girl." I said.

"She's smart, but I wouldn't say invincible." Mercury said.

"Do tell." I said, intrigued.

"Her semblance is Polarity. But you'd never know just by watching." Emerald said.

"After she made contact with my boots, she was able to move them around however she wanted. But she only made slight adjustments." Mercury said.

"Just enough to make it look like she's untouchable. She doesn't broadcast her power, so it puts her opponent at a disadvantage." Emerald said.

"Hmm... People assume that she's fated for victory, when she's really taking fate into her own hands. Interesting. Add her to the list." I said.

"You should be able to take her no problem." Mercury said.

"It's not about overpowering an enemy. It's about taking away what power they have. And we will, in time." I said.

"I hate waiting." Mercury said.

"Don't worry, Mercury. We have a fun weekend ahead of us. Who's next?" I asked.

"Last but not least, the Suni twins. Satoshi and Ryuki. Both have eyepatches on the opposite eye of each other. A little secret though from what we've classified intel gathered, they were born part Grimm. That being said, they won't have auras." Emerald said.

"Interesting. And their semblances?" I asked.

"We don't know about the guy, if he has one, but the girl can use telekinesis. She can momentarily control another person, but only for maybe a minute." Mercury said.

"It would be a mercy to kill these two." Emerald said.

"I must speak with my her about this discovery. Until then… enjoy getting ready for the dance." I said as I got up and left.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

I was washing my face when I looked down at my arm and saw it become fully black like a Grimm's and my fingers morphed into Beowolf claws.

I heard a knock on our bathroom door and when I looked back, I saw it was back to normal.

I opened the door to see just Sydney with a towel.

"If I catch you or Tatsumi trying to glance, I will use a razor on you in the night." She said.

"Glad to hear that." I said nervously as I walked out.

I walked over to my bed and laid down.

'What an odd night.' I thought to myself.

I raised my hand to squeeze it tight in front of my eyes.

'What the hell is happening… I'll find out in the morning.' I thought as I drifted off to sleep.


	18. Chapter 18

**Pov: Ruby**

I was thinking about Blake and the events that occurred last night and sighed. However, a sudden thud on the table put me back into reality. I looked up to ser Weiss and Ryuki.

'She is going to say the same thing.' Ryuki said.

"Of course she isn't. Okay Ruby, I need you to pick a tablecloth." Weiss said as she showed me two white tablecloths.

"Uh aren't they both the same?" I asked.

'See?!" Ryuki asked.

"Ugh I don't even know why I asked!" Weiss said as she walked away.

Ryuki walked over and sat down.

'So Ruby… have you picked out a dress yet?' Ryuki asked.

"What's the point? Who cares about the dance if Blake isn't going?" I asked.

I realized the way I said that sounded a bit suspicious.

"B-But I definitely am happy that I am going with you." I said.

Ryuki chuckled.

"Oh don't worry; she's going," Yang dropped a giant speaker before looking in Weiss' direction, "Weiss! I,thought we agreed: no doilies!"

"If I don't get doilies, you don't get fog machines." Weiss said.

"Your dance is gonna have fog machines?" We looked and saw Sun and Neptune walk in.

"We were thinking about it." Weiss said.

"That's pretty cool." Neptune said.

"You ladies all excited for dress up?" Sun asked.

"As much as I hate wearing fancy clothing, I will make an exception for Ryuki." Ruby said.

I smiled and placed my head on her shoulder.

"Well, I'm sure that I will be turning heads tomorrow, including Satoshi's." Yang said.

"What're you two wearing?" Weiss asked.

"Uh this?" Sun said.

"Forgive him for he knows not what he says." Neptune said.

"Hey, I may have moved to Mistral, but I grew up in Vacuo. It's not exactly a shirt and tie kind of place." Sun said.

'We can tell.' I said.

Ruby chuckled at that.

"Sooo… what does Blake think of all this? She still being all, 'know… Blake-y?" Sun asked.

"Obviously." Weiss crossed her arms.

"I still can't think of a way to change her mind." Ruby said.

"Guys, trust me. Blake WILL be at the dance tomorrow." Yang said. "Which reminds me, I gotta go to the library. I'll be back later." Yang said as she left.

"Hey Ryuki, I have a question. Is your brother doing okay?" Weiss asked.

'I think so, why?' I asked.

"Well he's been away from class for a while and he seemed angry last time I saw him." Weiss said.

"Have you met Satoshi?" Ruby asked.

I nodded my head.

"It just seems like something is up." Weiss said.

'I am sure everything is fine. I'll know if something is wrong.' I said.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

I was walking down the hall with Tatsumi and Sydney.

"That class was so boring." Sydney said.

"I couldn't tell, I was to busy staring at something sexy." Tatsumi said.

"Oh were you? Would you like it to be the last thing you ever see?" Sydney asked.

"I mean, if the last thing I saw was that, I think I would go with-"

I felt my arms flare up and my eye felt like it was on fire.

"Hey… I'll catch up l-later." I said as I walked towards the bathroom near us.

I walked in and sat in the stall. I pulled up my sleeves and saw the black lines begin to morph together, making larger spots. In some spots, I saw tiny pieces of white appear.

"Happy thoughts…" I mumbled to myself.

I thought of Ryuki and the others laughing and dancing. When I looked down, the spots were fading away. I sighed and pulled my sleeves down as I walked out and went to my dorm room.

 **Later**

"Oh come on, can't we come in?" I saw Tatsumi ask the door.

"No you idiot, we're getting dressed for the dance." Sydney said.

"What's happening?" I asked.

"The girls decided to go first to get ready for the dance that's happening in about an hour. Hurry up!"

"Wait, Sydney's going? I thought she hates these types of events." I said.

The door opened and I saw Sydney and Ryuki. Sydney looked nice and so did Ryuki. The only thing that looked out of place was her eyepatch.

"I do, which is why I am dressed in all black and because of this…" Sydney turned invisible.

'How do I look?' Ryuki asked.

"You look amazing." I smiled.

It's hard to believe that a year ago, Ryuki and I were homeless and begging for money and now, we're here.

"Come on Satoshi, let's get dressed." Tatsumi said.

 **POV change: Ozpin**

I was reading more of the story of the boy who became a Grimm when I heard her voice.

'You know what is to come, Ozpin.'

"I think that I see a future that is one in infinite." I said.

The book flipped to a certain drawing. A giant Grimm against a hunter with a bow and one arrow.

'You know what will happen. He will die and she will be The Who will have to kill him, and I will make it happen.'

"You can try, Salem. But in the end, you will be stopped just as you have been before." I said as I walked out of my office.

Pov change: Satoshi

Tatsumi and I walked out to see Ryuki by herself.

"Sysdney took off?" I asked.

Ryuki nodded.

"Alright, lets go." I said.

"See you two at the dance." Tatsumi said as he took off.

We walked down the hall and saw team RWBY's room.

"Ready?" I asked.

Ryuki nodded and knocked on the door.

The door opened and we saw Ruby. She had a red dress on and heels and some red lipstick on.

"These stupid heels- Ryuki, you look-" Ryuki interrupted by kissing her on the cheek.

'Ready?' She asked. She extended her hand to Ruby, who gladly accepted and they began to walk to the dance.

"Oh Satoshi, Yang is at the dance right now. She is checking guests in." Ruby said.

"Okay. I guess I'll follow you two." I said.

 **Later**

We walked into the dance hall to see Yang. She was… beautiful.

"*gasp* You two look so cute! And as for you… I can't wait to dance with you." She winked, leaving a big red blush on my face.

We looked behind Yang and saw Blake and Sun dancing.

"You did it." I said.

"Told you I could." Yang smiled.

"Well I'd say that this dance is a mission accomplished." Weiss said.

"Soooo, what do we do now?" Ruby asked.

"Just have fun! Oh crap, I gotta go check more people in, I'll be right back." Yang said.

Ryuki tugged on Ruby and the two walked over to the dance floor. I sighed and watched the couples dance.

"Not enjoying yourself?" I looked to my right and saw Ozpin.

"Just watching everyone have fun. Plus, I am not really that much of a dancer." I said.

"Well, you can't spend your whole life on the battlefield, even if you may want to." Ozpin said.

"I have spent my life on the battlefield though, I've so far taken half of a year off." I said.

"Well if you think about it, fighting and dancing aren't so different. Two partners interlocked, although one wrong move on the ballroom merely leads to a swollen foot."

"Or a twisted ankle." I said.

"It's not every day that friends are able to come together like this. Time has a way of testing our bonds, but it's nights like these that can help keep them stronger than ever. Nights like these are ones we'll never forget." Ozpin said.

We watched a bit more when he spoke.

"Satoshi, if you have any issues, I wish for you to come to me immediately." He said.

I nodded.

"Well I shall not take anymore of your time. Enjoy these moments." Ozpin said as he walked away.

 **Pov change: Yang**

"You guys are just in time!" I said.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world." Mercury said as he and Emerald walked in.


	19. Chapter 19

**Pov: Satoshi**

I was hanging out while Yang was finishing up checking people in when Jaune walked up to me.

"I see you're hiding by the punch bowl too."

"Yeah, just waiting for Yang." I said. "Plus I hate dancing and I dislike some people."

"Well to the socially awkward." He said.

I had a single chuckle as we clinked glasses.

"It sucks that things didn't go work out with Weiss."

"Meh it's fine. Neptune is pretty cool. I get why she went with him."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well I mean come on, not many people can pull off blue hair." Jaune sipped his drink.

"Hate to break it to you," Sydney appeared next to us, "but Weiss didn't come with Neptune."

Jaune choked on his drink.

"Uh what?" Jaune asked.

We looked ahead and saw Weiss was trying to make a rose that was dead look stand straight up but failed.

"Yeah she told us that she had too much to focus on to worry about boys." I said.

"Hold my punch." He handed Sydney his drink.

When we walked away, Sydney dropped it and vanished again.

I hate when she does that.

"Hey there sexy." Yang said as she walked up.

"Hey." I pecked her cheek.

"Ready?" Yang asked.

"I will warn you, I'm not that good at dancing." I said.

"That's fine." Yang smirked as we walked to the dance floor.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

I was dancing with Ruby when we saw Yang and satoshi start dancing.

'They love each other very much.' I said.

"Yeah…" Ruby smiled and looked at me.

We shared a short kiss between one another before Ruby placed her head on my chest.

"Please let me take these shoes off." Ruby said.

I chuckled as I felt my feet ache as well. I nodded and we walked back over to the side of the dance and sat down.

"Oh I love you so much." Ruby moaned as she massaged her feet.

"What's up you guys?" Tatsumi asked as he appeared.

'Just enjoying the dance.' I said.

"What about you?" Ruby asked.

"Bored outta my mind." Tatsumi said.

'Not enjoying it?' I asked.

"No this is fun and all, it's just not as much fun when you don't have anyone to go with." Tatsumi said.

Yang and Satoshi walked over and we all began to talk when Yang pointed something out.

"You know? I think that we really needed this." Yang said.

"Yeah, and you did a great job planning it too." Ruby said.

Yang wrapped her arm around Ruby and gave her a one armed hug. "Aw thanks. It wasn't all me, though. Weiss did a lot too."

We looked to see Neptune walk over to Weiss and she offered him a seat.

"Tomorrow its back to work." Yang said.

"At least we'd be refreshed." Satoshi said.

"I'm sure that we can handle whatever gets thrown at us." Ruby said.

We heard laughing and giggling causing us to look and I don't think I've ever seen something as funny as this.

"Except that." Ruby said.

Jaune Arc, leader of team JNPR, was in a dress. He walked past everyone and up to Pyrrha.

"Jaune?" We heard Pyrrha ask.

"Eh, a promise is a promise." Jaune said.

Pyrrha smiled, then giggled, then started laughing loudly.

"Jaune! You didn't have to!" Pyrrha laughed.

"Hey, an Arc never goes back on his word. Now do you wanna stand there and laugh at me," he offered his hand to Pyrrha, "or do you wanna dance?"

Pyrrha offered her own hand.

"I would love to dance."

The two went to the center of the floor and were followed by Nora and Ren.

They began to perform a dance that seemed planned.

"Come on Satoshi!" Yang grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the others dancing.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

I watched as Satoshi and Yang were dancing and couldn't help but chuckle. I felt someone grab my hand and saw Ruby was smiling.

"I'm glad that we have this." She said.

I smiled and nodded.

"But can we please go back? I hate these heels. I don't even know how Weiss fights in this." Ruby said.

I smiled and nodded.

We got up and walked towards the door when Ruby stopped. She was staring at the rooftops, so I looked and saw a figure running across the rooftops.

We looked at each other and nodded. Ruby and I took out our scrolls and dialed coordinates outside of the school.

We made it to the spots and grabbed our weapons.

We somehow managed to follow the figure to the CCT and when we arrived, we saw multiple unconscious soldiers.

"Come on." Ruby said as she ran in, or tried to but couldn't run cause of the heels.

We walked up the steps and saw more unconscious guards. We took the elevator up and made it to the floor it was recently at. I took an arrow out while Ruby loaded her gun.

The door opened and we slowly stepped in. All of the computers were on and had some icon on them.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" Ruby asked.

Suddenly, the figure we saw before stood up and walked towards us. I aimed my bow at her chest while Ruby spoke.

"Excuse me? You know, it's not a masquerade party, so why don't you take off that-"

The figure summoned multiple dust crystals and sent them at Ruby.

Ruby blocked all of them and shot towards the figure and fought with her while I tried to get a shot. Suddenly, the figure jumped up and aimed three fire arrows at Ruby. I ran up and pushed her out of the way when the figure loosened her arrows. They hit the ground next to me and made me fly into the wall, which hurt a lot.

"Ryuki!" Ruby yelled.

 **Pov change: Ruby**

I saw watched Ryuki pass out, which made me mad. I turned to fight with the figure when we heard the door to the elevator ding. I looked to see General ironwood.

"What is the meaning of this?" He asked.

"General quick, we can-" I turned back to see that the person was gone.

"Where'd she go?" I asked.

"I need some soldiers to come here now, bring a medic and the headmaster of beacon." He said into a walkie talkie. "Ms. Rose, I advise that you put your weapon down."

I was gonna argue but I remembered Ryuki.

"Ryuki!" I dropped the scythe and ran over to her.

"Nnng…" she groaned as she looked at me.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

She smiled as she stroked my face and nodded.

I looked down to see all of her cuts and bruises from the blast.

"Just rest." I said.

She nodded and closed her eyes.

 **Pov change: Cinder**

I walked up to Emerald and Mercury.

"Oh, may I cut in?" I asked.

"Of course." Emerald said.

"And how's your night been?" Mercury asked.

"Mmm… a little more exciting than expected." I said.

"Should we be worried?"

"Hardly… they'll be scratching their heads long after we finished what we came here for." Cinder said.

"So then what now?" Mercury asked.

"We prepare to unleash the beast." I looked at boy who was dancing with the blonde girl. They held each other closely and that made it feel e. "But for now, enjoy the rest of the night. After all, it is a party." I said as we continued to dance.


	20. Chapter 20

**Pov: Ruby**

Ryuki and I walked into the elevator to head to the headmaster's office after he called for us. As we were in there, I smiled. I reached over and pushed EVERY button.

Ryuki grabbed my shoulder with wide eyes.

"What? It'd be funny." I said.

'Not when we're in it!' Ryuki said.

My brain fully processed it and before I could react the doors shut.

"My bad?" I said as we had to endure all the floors.

 **Pov change: Ozpin**

I sat at my desk as Ironwood was getting visibly upset.

"They were here… Ozpin, they were here!" He slammed his fist on my desk.

"We're very much aware of that! Thank you James." Glynda said.

"Fantastic! You're aware! Now are we going to do something about it or should we just stay the course and continue to ignore what's right in front of us! And while we are at it, what about the twins Ozpin? If we do not do something, then you know that she will have t-"

*ding*

"Come in." I said.

Ms. Rose and ms. Suni walked through the doors.

"Sorry it took so long. Someone accidentally hit all the buttons on the elevator on the way up here. It wasn't me." Ruby said.

"Thank you for coming you two. Ms. Suni, how is your injury?" I asked.

'Just a big bruise.' She smiled.

"And how are you ms. Rose?" I asked.

"Okay, I guess. Ryuki is okay. However, I'd feel better if my bad-guy-catching record wasn't O-for-three." She said.

We responded with silence.

"Okay, so that's the tone we're going for, got it." Ruby said.

"Ruby and Ryuki, I feel it's appropriate to let you two know that I think what you both did last night is exactly what being a Huntress is all about. You recognized a threat. You took action. And you did the very best you could." Ironwood said.

"Thank you, sir." Ruby said.

'Thank you.' Ryuki said.

"Now, the general here has already informed of the events that... transpired last night, but now that you've rested, we were wondering if you two had anything to add." I said.

"Was anyone else with her? Did she look familiar to you at all?" Glynda asked.

"I... I don't know. She was wearing a mask, and she never said anything to me. But I know she fought with glass. I don't think that was her Semblance, though. Her clothing lit up whenever she attacked." Ruby said.

'She was very powerful though, that bow of her's packed quite the punch.' Ryuki said.

"Save for the glass, that sounds like the woman I fought the night we met Ruby and the twins." Glynda said.

"Embedding Dust into clothing is an age-old technique. It could have been anyone." Ironwood said.

"Wait. You think this girl is connected to Torchwick and the White Fang?" Ruby asked.

"It's possible. But we still lack the required evidence to link the two together." I said.

"Actually, I think I remember her saying something about a hideout, or something, in the southeast. Just outside the Kingdom." Ruby said.

Ryuki looked at Ruby, which made me smile.

"Interesting." I said.

"Wait, I thought you said the intruder never—"

"Thank you for your cooperation, Ruby. Why don't you and ms. Suni go and spend some time with your teams? You have a big day ahead of you." I said.

"Any time." Ruby said as she and Ryuki walked to the elevator.

"And… ms. Rose and ms. Suni, please try and be ... discreet about this matter." I said.

They nodded and went down the elevator.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

We walked into team RWBY's room to see Tatsumi holding back Sydney as Yang was holding back Blake. The two were growling at each other when they saw us.

"Enough, they're here." Satoshi said.

The two teams stopped and looked at us.

"What happened?!" They all ran towards us.

"Uh…"

 **Pov change: Ozpin**

"Well there we have it. We send as many troops as we can to the southeast, find out exactly what's going on, and eradicate any forces that stand in our way." Ironwood said.

"Why must your answer to everything involve a triumphant display of military bravado!? You treat every situation like a contest of measuring di-"

"Glynda!" I corrected her.

"Well, he does." Glynda said.

"She's right. As much as I too would love to end this situation once and for all, we must remember that this may go beyond Vale. Beyond Beacon. And if this truly is part of some master plan for which we know not the final move, we mustn't be so bold. Nor can we risk the spread of panic." I said.

"I have served you faithfully for years... but if you mean to tell me that your plan is to hold the defenses, and wait-"

"It is not! You're a general, James. So tell me, when you prepare to go to war, which do you send in first? The flag bearers, or the scouts?" I asked.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

"That was a risky move." Weiss said.

"I think you two handled it well." Blake said.

"Of course you think that." Sydney said.

"What was that? I thought you were too busy biting your ass for fleas." Blake said.

"Why you-"

"I'm sure everything will be alright." Tatsumi got in between the two.

"By the way Ruby, I have something that might cheer you up." Yang showed a cylindrical package.

"What's that?" Ruby asked.

"I don't know yet. Dad sent it to us. I thought that we could open it together."

"Ooooh! Something from home!" Ruby cheered as she wrapped herself around Yang.

The can opened and another cylindrical object fell out, but this one was hairy. It began to move and suddenly became a corgi.

"*gasp* Zwei!" Ruby cheered.

"Wait what?" Tatsumi asked.

"He sent a dog?" Blake asked as she jumped onto the upper bed.

"In the mail?" Weiss asked.

"Oh, he does stuff like this all the time!" Yang said.

'That's what scares me.' I said.

"Your father or your dog?" Blake asked.

"Wait, are you telling me that this mangy... drooling.. mutt is going to wiv wif us foweva?Oh, yes he is, yes he is! Oh, isn't he adorable!" Weiss broke down and began to love the dog.

"Please keep him away from my belongings." Blake said.

"Why? Do you hate dogs?" Sydney asked.

"Shut. Up." Blake growled.

Before Sydney could reply, the intercom turned on.

'Would all first-year students please report to the amphitheater?' Professor Goodwitch asked.

"Well, we can't exactly leave him here while we're gone for the week." Weiss said.

"Look, there's a letter!'Dear girls, I've got to leave the island for a few days, so I'm sending Zwei to you to take care of. Enclosed is all the food you should need. Love you both, Taiyang.'"

Yang tipped over the can and dozens of cans of dog food spill out of the small package, piling up around Zwei.

"What is he supposed to do with that?" Weiss asked.

A can opener fell from the package, bouncing off Zwei's head.

"Well, that settles it! Come on boys and girls, Zwei will be here when we get back!" Yang said.

"Oh, I'll miss you so much, we're going to be best friends, I can't wait to see you, I can't believe how cute your are." Weiss began to speak pure gibberish.

Blake leapt past us as she tried to miss Zwei. As Satoshi passed, he seemed down or upset about something, but I decided to wait until we were alone to ask. I was just when I saw Ruby smile.

I tapped her on the shoulder.

'Whatever you're thinking. Don't.' I said.

"You don't even know what it is. Hey can you use your semblance on Zwei?" Ruby asked.

 **Later**

I hate that she can make me do whatever she wants. We set the bag down and met up with teams RWBY, STRS, and JNPR.

"Quiet! Quiet please. Professor Ozpin would like to share a few words before we begin." Professor Goodwitch said.

"Today we stand together, united. Mistral. Atlas. Vacuo. Vale. The four Kingdoms of Remnant. On this day, nearly eighty years ago, the largest war in recorded history came to an end. It was a war of ignorance, of greed, and of oppression. A war that was about much more than where borders fell or who traded with whom, but about the very idea of individualism itself. We fought for countless reasons, one of which being the destruction of all forms of art and self-expression. And as you are well aware, that was something many could not stand for. As a result, those who opposed this tyranny began naming their children after one of the core aspects of art itself: color. It was their way to demonstrate that not only would they refuse to tolerate this oppression, but neither were the generations to come. And it was a trend that is held to this very day. We encourage individuality, expressionism, and unity through diversity. As I have said, today we stand together, united. But this bond cannot exist without effort. Which is why today, while the rest of the world celebrates peace, Huntsmen and Huntresses will work to uphold it. As first year students, you will be tasked with shadowing a professional Huntsman or Huntress on a mission. Some of you may be taken out of the Kingdom for several days. Others may work within the walls for the rest of the week. But no matter which path you choose, remember to be safe, remember your training, and remember to do your very best."

"It's a good thing that they all had one hatred I guess. Hatred for Grimm." I heard Satoshi mumble.

I looked at him with a worried look. I've never felt so much anger from him.

Ozpin walked away as we saw students all begin to file out of the amphitheater.

"This is perfect! All we have to do is shadow a Huntsman working in the southeast!" Ruby said.

"Yeah! We'll follow them around by day and give them the slip by night!"

"Let's check 'search and destroy'!" Weiss said.

We walked over and checked a box.

"Here we go! Quadrant 5 needs Grimm cleared out!" Ruby said.

"Well, it's in the southeast!" Blake said.

"Sounds perfect!" Yang said.

Ruby pressed it and types in her team name. However, the screen says that first years are not allowed to take this mission.

"Wonderful!" Weiss said.

"What did you expect? You were trying to go for an area that's crawling with Grimm." Sydney said.

"Not helping." Tatsumi said.

"Any other ideas?" Blake asked.

"We mail ourselves there!" Ruby said.

"Your joking right?" Sydney asked.

"Well, that's one option." We heard headmaster ozpin say as he walked in front of the panel. "Unfortunately, we determined that the concentration of Grimm was too extreme for first-year students. It seems that particular region is rather popular. In fact, I have the sneaking suspicion that you eight will make your way there no matter which job you choose."

We all looked at Ruby.

"Whatever makes you say that?" Ruby asked.

"I'm still curious how you all found yourself at the docks last semester. I'm interested to know how you really learned about a hideout in the southeast. And I certainly wonder why witnesses reported seeing robots and rose petals in a dance club some time ago." Ozpin said.

"Um... well..."

"I doubt I'll ever find the exact answers I'm looking for. So how about this: instead of waiting for you all to break the rules, why don't we just bend them?"

Ozpin selected some things on his scroll, and the hologram screen made a noise. Teams RWBY and STRS assigned to quadrant fuve

"We won't let you down. Thank you, headmaster."

"Do not thank me for this. Teamwork and persistence have carried you far. But you must understand, the things that await you beyond the protection of the Kingdom will not care. Stay close to your Huntsman at all times, and do exactly as he says. He will be leading you on this mission, and he can have you sent back to Beacon, if he finds your skills to be unsatisfactory. Good luck." Ozpin said as he walked away.

When he was gone, Satoshi sighed.

"Finally, he's gone." He said.

I had enough. I grabbed him by the arm and pulled him away from the others until we reached a safe area to speak privately.

'What is going on with you?' I asked.

"Nothing Ryuki." He said.

'No. I can tell that something is wrong. Why are you acting this way?' I asked.

"Why do you care?" He looked at me.

'Why? Because you're my brother and leader. What has gotten into you?'

I then saw his eye, it had black lines coming from it, except they were bigger. Much bigger.

I reached towards him when he grabbed my hand.

'Let me.' I said with one hand.

He looked at me and let go.

I took his eyepatch off and I saw his eye. It was glowing red and the lines seemed to be moving.

I placed my hand on his cheek.

'How does it feel?' I asked.

"It burns." He said.

'You know you shouldn't keep this from me.' I said.

He looked down.

'Just try and stay positive. We can get through this mission and talk to ozpin about it when we get back.' I said.

He nodded as he put his eyepatch back on.

Later

"That speech Ozpin gave wasn't exactly uplifting." Yang said;

"But it's the truth." Blake said.

"It's gonna to be tough, but I know we can do it!" Ruby said.

A student ran past the us.

"Hey! Team CFVY is back!" The student yelled.

Some Beacon students gathered around to witness the return of Team CFVY. Blake saw Velvet and went up to her.

"Velvet? Are you okay?" Blake asked.

"I'm fine. I had Yatsuhashi to look out for me." Velvet said.

"Your mission was supposed to end aweek ago! What happened?" Weiss asked.

"Nothing happened. It was just ... there were just so many... oh, but don't worry. You first-years are just shadowing Huntsmen, so you should be fine." Velvet said.

"Right." Yang said.

"I should go. Be safe, okay?" Velvet asked.

"You too." Blake said.

"Of course the cat cares for a bunny." Sydney said.

"I swear, I will rip your ears off." Blake said.

"Anyways! We can do this. We've never backed down before, and we're not going to start now." Ruby interrupted the two.

"Right." Blake said.

"We have each other. That's all we need." Tatsumi said.

I looked and saw satoshi holding his arm. I almost acknowledged him when he spoke.

"We got this if we work together." He said.

"Besides, it won't only be us out there! We'll be fighting alongside a genuine Huntsman!" Ruby said.

"Yeah!" Yang said.

The next thing we realized, was who our huntsman was.

"Why, hello boys and girls! Who's ready to fight for their lives?" Oobleck asked.


	21. Chapter 21

**Pov: Ryuki**

"Professor Oobleck?" Weiss asked.

"Yes, I'm afraid those bags won't be necessary, boys and girls, seeing as you've opted to shadow a Huntsman on what is now essentially a reconnaissance mission. I can assure you, we will not be establishing a single base of operations; rather, we will be traversing several miles of hazardous wasteland and making camp in any defendable locations we may stumble upon. I packed all of our essentials myself, plotted our air course, and readied the airship. And... It's Doctor Oobleck. I didn't earn the PhD for fun, thank you very much!" He said.

"Uh..." was the noise we all made, except me.

"Come now, children; according to my schedule, we are already three minutes behind!...schedule!" Oobleck freaked out as he ran to the ship.

"Well, alright, then! Looks like we're going to save the world with Doctor Oooobleck- okay yeah when you say it out loud it sounds worse." Ruby said.

'It'll be fun.' I smiled.

"Save the world?" We heard behind us.

We turned around to see Nora and teamJNPR approaching.

"You're going on world-saving missions without us? I'm hurt... sad! Maybe a little hungry? That last one's not your fault, though, Ren..."

Ren simply crosses his arms and turns away.

"Sounds exciting. Where're you guys going?"

"Oh, just outside the kingdom..." Ruby said.

"Hey! So are we!" Nora said.

"Ren and Nora wanted to shadow the sheriff of a nearby village." Pyrrha said.

"We set out tomorrow." Ren said.

"Then you can party with us tonight! We're shadowing a crime specialist. All inner-city detective stuff. We get junior badges." Neptune said as he and Sun showed up.

Jaune seemed awestruck.

"We normally go to the city with you guys, which means stuff's always exploding and junk, so we thought this might be a better way to check out the kingdom when it's, you know... normal." Sun said.

"Well-" Ruby began.

"Four minutes, ladies and gentlemen!"

"Well, uh... Wish us luck!" Ruby said.

 **Later**

We were all on the airship, waiting till we got to our destination.

"I guess I just never saw you as much of a fighter." Yang said.

"I admit I fancy myself more of an intellectual, but I can assure you, as a Huntsman, I've had my fair share of tussles." Oobleck said.

"Like the mushroom?" Ruby asked.

"Those are truffles." Blake said.

"Like the sprout?" Ruby asked.

'Those are Brussels.' I said.

"Besides, given my expertise in the field of history as well as my dabblings in the archaeological surveys, our dear headmaster saw fit to assign me to this particular... assignment!" Oobleck said.

"What does history have to do with this?" Weiss asked.

"Also who cares about the past?" Sydney asked.

"Why, what a preposterous question, you silly girls! Why, history is the backbone of our very society! And the liver! Probably the kidneys, if I were to wager." Oobleck said.

"And that means..?" Tatsumi asked.

"The southeast quadrant outside of Vale is home to wild forests and deep caves, but it is also the location to one of the kingdom's greatest failures!" Oobleck said.

"Mountain Glenn." Ruby said.

"That's right! It was an expansion of Vale... but in the end it was overrun by Grimm and fenced off from the rest of the city." Yang said.

"Correct! And now it stands abandoned as a dark reminder." Oobleck said.

"And a likely place for a hideout." Blake said.

"Precisely!" Oobleck said.

The ship landed and we all walked out of it to scout the area.

"Ladies and gentlemen! You still may be students, but as of this moment, your first mission as Hunters and Huntresses has begun! From this point forward, you need to do exactly as I say! Do you understand?"

We all nodded when Ruby's bag moved.

"Ruby! I thought I told you to leave all of your bags back at school." Oobleck

"But, uh, you hadn't told us to listen to you yet. So I didn't." Ruby said.

I face palmed when Oobleck spoke.

"She's not wrong... Very well, Ruby; leave your bag here, we can pick it up upon our return." Oobleck said.

"But I, well uh-" Ruby tried to speak.

"Young lady, what in the world could you possibly have in that bag that could be so important to bring it with-"

The bag opened and Zwei's head poked out.

"Get back in the bag." Ruby whispered.

Zwei merely barks in response.

"We're here to investigate an abandoned urban jungle teeming with death and hostility, and you brought... a dog?" Oobleck asked.

"I, uh..." Ruby tried to find a way out.

I was so worried for her that I almost walked towards her when Oobleck screamed.

"Genius!" She grabbed the dog and spun him around. "Canines are historically known for their perceptive nose and heightened sense of sound, making them excellent companions for a hunt such as ours!" Oobleck said.

"I'm a genius!" Ruby cheered.

Weiss and Yang both facepalm at their grinning leader. I walked over and patted her on the head, making her blush.

"So, what are your orders, Doctor?" Blake asked.

"Ah, yes, straight to the chase; I like it!" He let go of Zwei, but I luckily caught him in the air with my semblance before I set him down. "As you've been informed, the southeast area has been marked as a recent hot spot for Grimm activity. Now, there are several possible explanations for this behavior, one of which being... Grimm."

"Uh, what?" Ruby asked.

"Grimm. A creature of Grimm approximately one hundred yards from us at this very moment." Oobleck said.

"What?!" Yang

We turned to look like at the lone Beowolf wandering into the street. We all took out our weapons.

"Stop!" Oobleck commanded.

"Huh?" Blake asked.

"There are a number of reasons why Grimm will congregate in this particular area, the most likely of which will be their attraction to negativity: sadness, envy, loneliness, hatred. All qualities that are likely held by our hidden group harboring ill intent."

I looked at Satoshi who seemed to be staring at his arm.

"So... What now?" Ruby asked.

"We wait. We track. If this specimen leads us to its pack, that pack may subsequently lead us to our prey." Oobleck said.

"How long do we wait?" Blake asked.

"It's uncertain. Hours, days, weeks. Why, lone Grimm have been known to stay isolated from the pack for months - and there's the whole pack." Oobleck said.

"What?" Weiss asked.

"And now they've seen us." Oobleck said.

"What?!" Weiss yelled.

"AND NOW THEY'VE SEEN US!" Oobleck yelled.

"I take it tracking them is out of the question?" Ruby asked.

"An accurate assumption, yes." Oobleck said.

"What's the plan, then?" Yang asked.

We looked at Oobleck.

"Show me what you're capable of." He said.

"Cover your ears, Zwei!" Ruby said.

Tatsumi smirked as he activated his semblance and charged in with his flaming sword. Yang launched herself right after him, Blake following her. Ruby hopped up to a vantage point as did I and we gave some support. Weiss flew after the Grimm, Sydney turned invisible and I thought she left when I saw some Grimm randomly get hit, letting me know she was there. And then I saw a stray Grimm heading towards Satoshi. I aimed my bow when he charged at it and unsheathed his sword and slicing it in two.

I lowered my bow and aimed towards the others as they fought.

"Come on!" Tatsumi yelled as he sliced two Grimm at once.

The fight was over rather quickly with all of us and there being only five Grimm.

"Heh. Piece of cake!" Ruby said.

"Yeah, because you were on a building waiting to get a shot." Sydney said.

I used my semblance to throw a pebble behind Sydney's head.

"Do not celebrate yet, for I am certain this is the first bout of many. Shall we continue?" Oobleck asked.

We continued through the city and as we fought multiple Grimm, Oobleck was observing the surroundings. The more we went, the more exhausted we got from fighting.

"Excellent work, boys and girls! Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any signs of criminal operations in this sector. Oh, well! Moving on!" Oobleck said.

I looked at Satoshi to see him getting visibly upset.

"Hey, Doc, y'know, I was actually looking forward to seeing a 'pro Huntsman' in action. Like, fighting, or at least, helping us fight?" Yang asked.

"Ah, but I am in action! Scouring the ruins of this once-great city for any signs of irregularity!" He turned to look at all of us. "Not every mission is filled with daring and heroism, girls. Sometimes it's just a heightened form of extermination! Remember, this is a job, and you all signed up for it. I do hope you understand that." He said.

"Well, yeah... O-Of course!"

"Hmm..." he said.

 **Later**

I shot an arrow at a Beowulf as Satoshi and Yang beat and stabbed another one.

"Tell me, Yang. Why did you choose this line of work?" Oobleck asked.

"Huh? Well, to fight monsters and save-"

"No, that is what you do. I want to know why you do it. The honest reason as to why you want to be a Huntress."

"The honest reason? I'm a thrill-seeker. I want to travel around the world and get wrapped up in as many crazy adventures as I can. And if I help people along the way, then that's even better. It's a win-win, y'know?"

"I see." Oobleck said. "And what about you two?"

"Us?" Satoshi asked.

"Yes." He said.

"I… I don't know." Satoshi said.

"Very well. And you, ms. Suni?" Oobleck asked.

'I did it to help others who can't defend themselves. Even if I have the disadvantage of not having an aura, that doesn't mean I can't try.' I said.

"Interesting."

Later

We all met up again.

"Anything?" Tatsumi asked.

Satoshi shook his head.

"Should we keep going?" Ruby asked.

"Nope! I believe that will have to do for today. It's going to be dark soon. You seven, set up camp in that building. Oh, and please do make sure there are no more of those... creatures. Team RWBY's leader and her girlfriend and I are going to secure the perimeter. Come, Ruby and Ryuki."

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

 **Later**

Sydney was invisible away from the others. Tatsumi was resting his eyes. Yang and I were resting by the fire while Blake and Weiss were feeling the warmth of the fire.

"I can't believe we didn't find anything..." Yang said.

"We've always been fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time. I guess we can't always have luck on our side." Blake said.

"That's not what I meant." Weiss said.

"Huh?" We asked.

"Earlier, about... upholding the legacy. There's more to it than that." Weiss said.

"Yeah... No, me too. I mean... I don't know." Yang said.

"I don't know, either. I know what I want to do, but I figured I'd always take things one step at a time." Blake said.

"I didn't join to fight evil or anything like that." I said.

"Huh?" Yang asked.

"I didn't join to save the world. I did it to save Ryuki. I couldn't stand to see her starve or beg for money. I couldn't stand seeing people, both human and Faunus, bully and beat her because of our eyes. I couldn't stand the people who tried to take advantage of her."

The others were quiet and I looked down to see my arms had black lines.

"Back at the club, when junior said he knew you…" Yang said.

"He offered me a job if Ryuki became an adult entertainer." I said.

"That's… awful." Weiss said.

"I'm sorry Satoshi." Yang said. "But they don't represent all of humanity and Faunus. You've seen that."

"Yes I have, but that doesn't mean I've forgotten." I said as the lines went away.

"Well at least you weren't treated like a star student." I heard.

Sydney appeared next to Weiss and sat down.

"When I was in vacuo, I was one of the best students which meant three things: high expectations, strict parents, and no friends. They didn't even care that I was a Faunus until I found out the truth. I found out that my friends were friends with me simply so that I can give them help with homework. That made a very bad childhood. My parents told me that it was good because that way, I could sabotage the competition by giving them false information. I couldn't stay there any longer, so I secretly transferred to Beacon and here I am."

"What about you Tatsumi?" Blake asked.

"I joined because I wanna look cool." Tatsumi said.

We chuckled when Oobleck, Ruby and Ryuki showed up.

"Ah, wonderful; a textbook campfire!"

"Fire! So... warm..." Ruby moaned.

Ryuki sat down next to her and sighed in relief.

"Very good! Eat your dinners and hurry to bed. We have a lot of ground to cover tomorrow and we'll need you to take turns keeping watch over our temporary abode. Any volunteers for first watch?" Oobleck asked.

"Yo." Ruby said.

Ryuki raised her hand too.

Oobleck rushed off, and Ruby and Ryuki got up to go over to their lookout point.

"Hey, did Oobleck ask you why you wanted to be a Huntress? I mean... what did you tell him?" Yang asked.

"Hmm... No, he didn't. Weird. Oh, well; good night, guys!" Ruby said as she and Ryuki walked up to the lookout.

We all just didn't think about it and got into our sleeping bags and fell asleep.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

We sat down and watched as the moon rose. Everyone was asleep now and we were the knights against the darkness so to speak. Zwei walked over and sat next to us and whined when he heard a growl in the distance. Ruby scooted over and rested her head on my shoulder.

"Don't worry. Things will be better tomorrow." Ruby said.

I nodded as we began our watch.


	22. Chapter 22

**Pov: Ironwood**

I was looking at the sky and my fleet when I heard Glynda behind me.

"Trouble sleeping?"

I held my arm.

"Arm was acting up."

"Of course, so logically, you got out of bed, dressed yourself completely and decided to gaze menacingly out into the distance. What's wrong?" She asked concerned.

"I've trusted him for years. We both have. I just feel like he has been hiding something." I said.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"First it's the lack of action to this new enemy and the twins… the boy. I saw his tests, he's going to change soon. And ozpin did not inform me. I just... I can't help but feel like he's keeping us in the dark."

"Don't be ridiculous! You know very well that we are not the ones in the dark." Glynda said.

"That makes it worse! I refuse to believe that a man that I've trusted for so long would act so... passively." I chuckled.

She placed her hand on my shoulder.

"You're a good person, James. You've always done what you think is best for the people, even against strong protest. It's admirable. But it's high time you stopped talking about trust and started showing it. Ozpin has experience that the rest of us lack. And I think that's something worth remembering. He knows what to do about this threat and the twins.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

"Hey, are you awake?" Yang whispered.

"Yes." I said.

"Blake, are you awake?" Yang asked.

"Yeah." Yang said

"Why do you think he asked us about being a Huntress? Like, what was he trying to say?" Yang asked.

"Maybe he was just curious." Blake said.

"You think?" Yang asked.

"No." Blake said.

"When he asked me why I wanted to be a hunter… I told him that it was so Ryuki can get off of the streets. That was true," I looked at Ryuki who was sleeping next to Ruby who was on lookout, "but it was for another reason. I hated Faunus and humanity for how they treated me and I just felt that if I could be as far away from them as possible, then I can be able to sleep."

"You know," Tatsumi rolled over and sat up, "when I said that I did it to be cool. But… that was a lie. I was expelled from the academy in Haven because of my inappropriateness. I lost all of my friends and my family told me that I was stupid to not focus on my grades. So I'm here now, to prove them wrong. To prove that I can be both funny and smart." Tatsumi said.

Sydney appeared next to him and sighed.

"Well, unlike all of you, I told the truth. My family expected too much from me and everyone was my friend for my intelligence. I found out when someone who I… anyways, they told me that I was just a smart bitch Faunus. After that, I couldn't stay where I lived. I applied to Beacon in secret and Ozpin let me in."

Tatsumi wrapped his arm around Sydney who just placed her head on his chest.

"Weiss, are you awake?" Yang asked.

"Of course I'm awake! You are all talking. And I think he... When I said I wanted to honor my family's name, I meant it. But, it's not what you think. I'm not stupid. I'm fully aware of what my father has done with the Schnee Dust Company. Since he took control, our business has operated in a... moral gray area." Weiss said.

"That's putting it lightly." Blake said.

"Which is why I feel the need to make things right. If I had taken a job in Atlas, it wouldn't have changed anything. My father was not the start of our name, and I refuse to let him be the end of it." Weiss said.

"All my life, I fought for what I thought was right. I had a partner named Adam. More of a mentor, actually. He always assured me that what we were doing would make the world a better place. But of course, his idea of a perfect future turned out to be not perfect for everyone. I joined the Academy because I knew that Huntsmen and Huntresses were regarded as the most noble warriors in the world. Always fighting for good. But I never really thought past that. When I leave the Academy, what will I- how CAN I undo so many years of hate?" Blake asked.

"I'm sure you'd figure it out. You're not one to back down from a challenge, Blake." Yang said.

"You're capable of doing so much. You're not alone." Tatsumi smiled.

"But I am! I do back down all the time! When you learned I was a Faunus, I didn't know what to do, so I ran! When I realized my oldest partner had become a monster, I ran! Even my Semblance! I was born with the ability to leap behind a shadow of myself; an empty copy that takes the hit while I run away!" Blake said.

"At least you two have something that drives you. I've just kinda of always, gone with the flow, y'know? And that's fine, I mean, that's who I am. But how long can I really do that for? I wanna be a Huntress, not really because I want to be a hero, but because I want the adventure. I want a life where I won't know what tomorrow will bring. And that'll be a good thing. Being a Huntress just happens to line up with that. I'm not like Ruby, she's always wanted to be a Huntress. It's like she said, ever since she was a kid, she'd dreamt about being the heroes in the books. Helping people and saving the day, and never asking for anything else in return. Even when she couldn't fight, she knew that's what she wanted to do. That's why she trained so hard to get where she is today." Yang said.

"Well, she's still just a kid." Weiss said.

"She's only two years younger. We're all kids." Blake said.

"Well, not anymore. I mean, look where we are! In the middle of a warzone and armed to the teeth!" Yang said.

"It's the life we chose." I said.

"It's a job. We all had this romanticized vision of being a Huntress in our heads! But at the end of the day, it's a job to protect the people! And whatever we want, will have to come second." Weiss said.

"Let's try to get some sleep." Tatsumi said.

 **Pov change: Sydney**

When we all laid down again, I felt Tatsumi lay down next to me.

"I don't think that about you. I think that your ears are cute." He said.

"S-Shut up and go to sleep." I said as I closed my eyes.

 **Pov change: Ruby**

I aimed at a Beowolf but it continued to wander so I decided not to. Suddenly Zwei started barking, waking up Ryuki.

Huh? Zwei, it's late. Go back to bed."

Zwei started to walk out of the safe area.

"Zwei! Zwei! Ugh!" I said as I got up. Ryuki got up as well to help look for Zwei.

"Zwei! Zwei, where are you? Zwei!"

Ryuki tapped my shoulder and pointed.

"Huh?" I noticed Zwei was peeing on the sidewalk… in a destroyed wasteland.

"Zwei, this is a wasteland! You literally could have done that anywhere!"

Zwei barked.

"What was that?" We suddenly heard.

We quickly hid from the voices approaching.

"What was what?" Another voice asked.

We looked and saw it was a White Fang patrol group.

"I thought I heard a Beowolf or something." The first one said.

"Hmph. Let's just finish our patrol and get back to base. This place gives me the creeps." The second one said.

As the the guards walked away, we began to sneak behind them. We eventually reach a ruined building with a pair of metal doors, and we hid behind some debris, Ruby holding Zwei to stay quiet. Ruby stuck zwei up to… scout?

"Did they go in yet? One bark means yes." Ruby said.

I tapped her on the shoulder to "speak" when we heard the doors shut.

"Bark!" Zwei barked.

"Oh! This is it! This is it!" She yelped in joy.

I had to hush her. She took out her scroll and tried to call the others but it said no signal. "Aw man! Come on, we gotta get the others!"

We began to walk back when suddenly, the ground beneath us gave way and a hole appeared. I began to fall when Ruby grabbed me and I grabbed Zwei. I used my semblance to safely place Zwei on the street but the piece Ruby held onto broke off and we fell.

When I came to, there were two guards aiming guns at us.

"Freeze!" One of them yelled.

"Where did they come from?" The other asked.

As the guards walk forward, we back up only to end up on the very edge of the platform.

"You're a long way from home, little girls." The first guard smirked.

Ruby reached for her scythe when she realized she must've dropped it up above, and I left my bow and arrows at the camp. One of the guards grab Ruby's arm and pull her by the arm.

"Hey! Hands off!" Ruby yelled.

I used my semblance to hold him so Ruby had a chance to get out of his grip. Ruby jerked her arm out of the guard's hand and punched him. It had very little effect. Suddenly I was knocked to the ground and the guard broke free of my semblance and he punched Ruby in the face hard enough to knock her down.

I reached towards her and she reached towards me.

"The boss is gonna want to see these two..." they said.

The guard kicked Ruby in the head hard enough to knock her out. They then looked at me and before I knew it, everything went dark.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

I woke up when Yang nudged me.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Where're Ruby and Ryuki?" Yang asked.

I got up and looked ahead to see her bow and arrows were there but not her.

"What?!" Oobleck sat up.

Suddenly, Zwei came running into the area, barking.

"Zwei?" Yang asked.

"What's going on?" Sydney asked.

"Grab your weapons! Your leader and your teammate may be in trouble." Oobleck said.

 **Pov change: Ruby**

I woke up to see the guards who knocked Ryuki and I out dragging me through what looked like a destroyed underground city. All around me, White Fang members were at work, doing various things such as piloting a Paladin to carry large shipping containers.

"Wha… Ryuki…" I saw her to my left being dragged but she was out.

I heard a loud noise nearby.

"Hey, be careful! What are you trying to do, blow us to the moon?" One of the men yelled.

"Sorry sir!" The man yelled.

"Hey boss! Found something you might want to see!" The Faunus leading us said.

"Is it good or bad, Perry? Because let me tell ya, I have had a day." A very familiar voice asked.

"Uh, it's a couple of little girls?" He asked.

Roman Torchwick leaned out and saw us.

"That would be bad." He said.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

I looked at my arms. They were pulsing black lines and I felt them surge up my arms and the little white spikes appear under the armor. I hid the pain from the others as we ran behind Zwei.

Zwei lead us to the hole that Ruby fell into, and Yang spots Crescent Rose next to the hole.

"Ruby's scythe!" Yang picked it up.

"Oh no." Blake said.

"Do you think she fell?" Weiss asked.

"If… they fell then…" Tatsumi said.

"They're not dead…" I felt the venom exit my mouth as I said that.

"Fell?" Oobleck asked.

I felt as my chest started to turn black and white. I almost lost it when Oobleck spoke.

"Oh my. Of course! Of course, OF COURSE, OF COURSE!" He screamed.

"What is it?" Sydney asked.

"How could I be so stupid?!" Oobleck asked.

"Dr. Oobleck, what's wrong?" Yang asked.

"Mountain Glenn! Yes, an expansion of Vale that was inevitably destroyed by creatures of Grimm! Previously home to thousands of people! Working people commuting to the city, the main city! Developed a subway system to the inner city! Grimm attacks increased! Population in danger, now desperately searching for shelter! City evacuates into the metro tunnels and what do they find? The southeast quadrant of Vale is known for wild forests and deep caves!" Oobleck said.

"Doc, what are you saying?" Tatsumi asked.

"Children, we're not just looking for an underground crime network, we're looking for an UNDERGROUND crime network!" Oobleck said.

"They've been working in caves?" Blake asked.

"No, no, Mountain Glenn was Vale's first serious attempt at expansion. It worked for a short period of time, thanks to an aggressive perimeter defense, and unique transportation; the city developed an elaborate subway system to carry citizens safely from the new territory into the main Kingdom! Sadly, without the many natural barriers Vale had to protect its borders, Mountain Glenn was doomed from the start! As the end drew near, the citizens of the territory made one last attempt at survival: They took up shelter beneath the city! In massive caves that they had cleared out for the subway. And they had cut themselves off from the surface!" Oobleck said.

"An underground village?" Yang asked.

"In a matter of speaking, yes. A safe haven. Until... an explosion opened the mouth of another cavern, filled with subterranean Grimm. After that, the Kingdom officially sealed off the tunnels, creating the world's largest tomb. If Ruby is down there," he took out his coffee canister which became a staff-like weapon, "we must find her..."

Everyone hopped down and before I did, I looked at my hands and they had turned completely black like a Grimm. I crunched my hands and jumped down.

 **Pov change: Salem**

I felt it all the way from here.

"So… the transformation is at hand… it cannot be stopped." I turned to the next page of the book I had out. It showed a Grimm bigger than normal Beowolves, leaping at a female with a bow who had her kill shot and one arrow.


	23. Chapter 23

**Pov: Ruby**

I felt the pain of Roman's punch to my gut.

"Wow! You are much more manageable without that over-sized gardening tool of yours." Roman said.

I looked behind him and saw as Ryuki was punched in the face by a White Fang member.

I got up and charged at Roman. He simply sidestepped, which sent me stumbling across the floor.

"Oh man. You know, Perry, I really did need this." Roman said.

The member, Perry, raises his thumb in agreement as Roman laughs.

"But seriously. How'd you find this place, Red?" Roman asked.

I heard Ryuki behind him as she got punched to the ground.

"That one sounded like it hurt." He said.

I growled and used my Semblance to get past Roman and start running towards Ryuki to help her.

"Whoa!" Roman said behind me.

Before I reached Ryuki, I felt something grab me and saw it was a grappling hook. Then, I was dragged back next to Roman.

"I see you've got some tricks up your sleeve! Let me make this clear: We're not through here yet. Now, look at me." He said.

I hesitantly did so.

"I am going to kill you and your little Grimm girlfriend over there quickly if you tell me. But if you don't tell me, then I will make sure her death is MUCH slower." He said.

I looked at Ryuki as she was kicked in the stomach.

"No." I closed my eyes.

"Suit yourself. You, get me the crowbar." Roman said.

Suddenly, we heard a massive explosion.

"Oh, what the... Perry, if you and the boys could take care of that? Kinda in the middle of something." Roman said.

"You two on me." Perry said.

I saw the two members leave Ryuki alone. I then heard distant gunfire and screaming.

"WHAT is going on here?!" Roman asked, annoyed.

Another explosion was heard and I saw multiple White Fang members running around a corner, some firing at an unknown enemy. Suddenly, I saw teams RWBY and STRS, Zwei and Oobleck run around the corner. I noticed that Roman was distracted, so I jumped on his head and pushed his hat down. I jumped down and ran over to Ryuki to help her up, her being taller than me, like everyone else… but I managed to get her up and we ran as fast as we could towards the others.

"Would somebody kill them?!" Roman yelled.

We dodged as many bullets as we could, but I heard one bullet hit Ryuki's shoulder.

"AGH!" Ryuki yelled.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

Ryuki nodded and as she used her semblance on herself and after hearing her painfully yell, she pulled the bullet out of her shoulder.

We turned the corner and came to a halt as I realized a group of White Fang members was in front of us. A huge explosion appears behind them and we saw Yang and Satoshi come through the dust.

"Ruby!" Yang said.

"Ryuki!" Satoshi yelled as they both ran over to us.

Satoshi grabbed Ryuki and pulled out a aura stimpak and injected her with it. The wound on her shoulder healed quickly and she opened her eyes.

"Remember that time we were being chased by that store clerk and he shot me in the shoulder?" Satoshi chuckled.

Ryuki stood up and patted herself off.

'You took three weeks to heal that wound.' Ryuki said.

I looked at Satoshi's arms and I noticed that they started to go back to normal.

The others soon caught up.

"Are you guys okay?" Weiss asked.

"We're fine. We're fine. But listen! Torchwick's got all kinds of weapons and robots down there."

"What?!" Blake asked as she handed me my weapon. Satoshi handed Ryuki her bow and arrows.

"Androids, mechs, they're all loaded up on the train cars!" I said.

"Ahhhh, that's ridiculous. These tunnels are sealed, the tracks lead to a dead-end." Oobleck said.

'Get to your places, we are leaving now!' The intercom said.

The train suddenly started moving towards the tunnels.

"Well, it sounds like they're going somewhere." Yang said.

"We need backup. Let me call Jaune." I pulled out my scroll.

However, the scroll flashed "Low Signal".

"I can't get through!" I said.

"So, what do we do?" Weiss asked.

"I believe we only have one option..." Oobleck said.

"We're stopping that train!" I turned to see the train moving.

"ALRIGHT!" Tatsumi jumped towards the train. He pulled out his sword and stabbed the train to hold on.

Ryuki grabbed a rope arrow and fired at the train and held on as the train went forward.

"I could use a hand." Satoshi said.

Yang smirked and kissed him.

"You owe me." Yang said as she flung him towards the train. He landed on top and pulled out his sword.

"Where's Sydney?" Ruby asked.

"Already on!" Sydney yelled. "Hurry up!"

We all ran and jumped on the train.

"I think they're on the-" we interrupted him by knocking him out.

"Hurry, children! We must get to the front and stop this train!" Oobleck said.

"Err... Professor?" Weiss asked.

"Doctor..." Oobleck corrected Weiss.

"What's that?" Weiss pointed down.

We looked down to see a device.

"That my dear... appears to be a bomb." Oobleck said.

I looked and saw enemies coming.

"We've got baddies!" I said.

"Well, I didn't expect them to go-"

The bomb suddenly activated and started beeping.

"-easy on us. Time to go!" Oobleck said.

 **Pov change: Blake**

As we started running, Oobleck stopped Sydney and I.

"Blake! Sydney! Detach the caboose! It will kill us all!"

Sydney and I looked at each other and even though we hated each other, there was no time to argue.

"On it." We yelled.

Sydney and I jumped down onto the connectors and were about to cut the connection, but before we did, the connection came loose on its own.

"Huh? It decoupled itself!" I yelled

"What?!" Oobleck asked.

"I guess he really doesn't want us on this train." Yang said.

We hopped back up and watched as the cart exploded half a minute after detachment.

"That's not good..." Oobleck said.

"Err, neither is this!" Ruby yelled.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

Blake hopped up and we all saw what she was talking about.

"Another bomb?!" Blake asked.

"No. No. No," Oobleck ran across and jumped over to the next cart and opened the hatch, "They ALL have bombs!"

Suddenly the bomb activated and we heard the train cart decouple itself.

"RUN!" I yelled.

We all ran and made it to the next cart. We watched it explode after it made some distance.

"This doesn't make sense!" Yang said.

"We got baddies!" Tatsumi pointed.

We looked to see White Fang members climbing the train.

"Get them!" One of them yelled.

 **Pov change: Oobleck**

I saw the cart explode and then I saw as hundreds of Grimm flooded the tunnel.

"Oh, dear..." I said.

The horde of Grimm begin advancing quickly toward the train. Then it all pieced together.

"He's leading Grimm to the city!" I yelled.

"What?" Ms. Schnee asked.

"It's the cars! They detach and explode, creating openings for the Grimm!" I said.

"That's insane!" Ms. Belladonna yelled.

Another train car suddenly detached itself.

"We have to hurry! Satoshi, Yang, Weiss, and Blake, go below and try to stop those bombs!"

"What about you guys?" Weiss asked.

"We're going to stop this train." I said.

"Yeah, I know. I said that earlier." Ruby said.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

I hugged Ryuki and handed her all of my aura stimpaks, much to her displeasure of me being too unprotective of myself.

"Good luck." Tatsumi said.

I nodded and hopped down to join the other three.

"I guess this is what we trained for." Yang said.

Weiss reached into her pocket and pulled out a packet of dust bullets.

"Here, this should help you." Weiss said.

Blake took it and the four of us started to head in when the mystery umbrella girl jumped down and winked at us.

"You three go on ahead. This one's mine." Yang said.

"Yang-" I said before she kissed me.

"Let me do this." Yang said.

I felt the black veins on my arms, they were growing more. I didn't want to lose her but I knew she wouldn't let me stay.

"Let's go." I said.

We began to walk past the girl and before she could try and stop us, Yang started fight her. We made it to the second train cart when a sudden bullet hit near us. We looked and saw a white fang member with a shotgun and pistol. However, he seemed more powerful than other White Fang members.

"I got this one." I said.

"Stay safe." Blake said.

I nodded and watched as they started to move.

"Where do you two think you're going?" He asked Blake and Weiss as he aimed at them.

"Hey asshole." I said.

He looked at me as I took off my eyepatch.

"Why don't you fight me instead?" I said.

"Ah I know your eye. I had fun beating up that other bitch with the Grimm eye." He said.

I felt the black lines slowly go throughout my body slowly as I charged at opponent. I swung my sword at him but he blocked the attack with his shotgun. The shotgun extended out and became a metal staff with double edged blades.

"Oh I can't wait to enjoy beating both of you up." He smirked.

"HRAGH!" I charged at him.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

Tatsumi grabbed one of the white fang members and slammed them down. When another member aimed his gun at Tatsumi, he was knocked out by Sydney. Suddenly, a paladin jumped in front of them.

I looked at Ruby and she looked at me. We nodded and fired explosive arrows and rounds to distract the paladin. Doctor Oobleck ran past us and jumped onto the paladin and did some major damage. The two of us ran past they mech and in sync with oobleck and knocked the giant robot off of the train.

"Children! You go on ahead!" Oobleck said.

"But-" Ruby began.

"Don't worry, Ruby. It's time... I teach them a lesson..." Oobleck

Oobleck ran towards the paladins that we're charging at us. We almost kept moving when Ruby saw zwei look sad. She looked at me and I nodded. She smiled and nodded at zwei.

"Go." She said.

Zwei barked happily as he went to go help Oobleck.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

I heard the noises coming from the other carts and up above. They sounded bad. I looked down. My armor was damaged from a shotgun blast and my arm was bleeding. However, what scared me was seeing the black lines have gotten bigger.

"Looks lies you've spent all of your little bursts of rage." The guy said as he loaded his gun. He walked up to me and kicked me to the ground. I reached for my sword but he stepped on my hand.

"After I'm done with you, I'm going after that pretty sister of yours." He said.

"Nnnngh!"

'Unleash it.' I heard in my head.

My arms turned black and I felt my body slowly turning black from the black veins spreading throughout my body.

"And once I'm bored with her, maybe I'll have some of that blonde bimbo too." He said.

"HHHRNAAAGH!" I yelled as I felt the pain of my body and the rage in my head.

'Become what you were meant to be!' I heard a woman's voice say.

"But I think our playtime is over, this is goodbye, Grimm boy." He aimed the shotgun at my face.

"HHHHHHHRRRARAAGAGHHHAGAHAHH!" I screamed as I felt my body change.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

We saw Blake and Weiss show up with Yang.

"We're here." Blake said.

"Where's Satoshi?" Ruby asked.

"We don't know, last we saw him, he was fighting some white fang member." Weiss said.

"We got trouble!" Sydney yelled as she pointed at the road ahead. There was no more road.

"What do we do?" Blake asked.

Ruby and Weiss looked at each other before Weiss encased us all in ice.

I grabbed Ruby by the hood.

"We can look for Satoshi after- BRACE!" Ruby yelled.

 **Later**

I opened my eyes to see Ruby next to me, waking up. I looked around to see we were in downtown Vale and there were multiple people looking at us. Sydney was vomiting while tatsumi was getting up. Yang gave a thumbs up while the other girls were regaining consciousness. We suddenly heard the sound of low rumbles and growls from behind us. Suddenly, a giant King Taijitu emerged from the hole, and multiple Grimm started pouring into Vale. We heard civilians screaming as they attempted to flee the chaos. The sounds of screams and roars fill the air, and all we could do was watch in horror. Ruby and I stood up and grabbed our weapons, ready to fight.

 **Pov change: none**

In the debris of the crashed train, was the white fang member who had giant slashes across his chest and blood all around him. Suddenly a pile of debris began to move and shake. A giant figure emerged from the debris and when it opened its eyes, you can see that it was a giant Beowolf. It inhaled and gave a frightening roar.


	24. Chapter 24

**Pov: Ryuki**

We were surrounded. I looked down and I had about ten arrows left. Sydney and Tatsumi were ready to fight. I looked and saw Ruby and the others were ready as well. This massive King Taijitu unleashed a mighty roar, signalling the Grimm to attack.

"LEEEEET'S DO THIS!" Tatsumi yelled as he activated his semblance and charged at about three Beowolves.

Ruby planted Crescent Rose on the ground before kicking away a few Grimm.

"See you after this." Ruby smiled as she shot towards other Grimm.

Yang Xiao Long seemed to have tears in her eyes and her eyes were dark red. She propelled herself upwards, performing aerial bombardments with Ember Celica on the Grimm in front of me before three Giant Nevermores sent her crashing to the ground.

"Goddamn it!" Yang yelled as she shot towards other Grimm. I can tell that she was worried that Satoshi had.

"Ryuki! Go down and look for Satoshi, we got this." Weiss said.

I nodded and hopped down into the hole.

I looked around the train that was now sideways and destroyed. I opened the door and saw dead white fang members and blood everywhere.

"Stay back!" I heard before I heard multiple gunshots.

The sounds turned into bloodcurdling screaming.

I pulled out my bow and aimed ahead as I approached the noise. I turned the corner to see a trail of blood being dragged back further into the train. I walked a bit further when I saw something… Satoshi's sword… covered in blood. I walked up and picked it up and felt myself begin to cry.

However, the moment was short when I heard more screaming coming from the next cart. I turned the sword into its revolver state and put it away. I pulled out my bow and aimed as I walked into the next cart. What I saw made me sick. A giant beowolf was clawing up a dead white fang member.

It stopped to sniff the air and turned to look at me. When I saw its body, I saw all of the scars on it. That made me confused when I remembered professor Oobleck's teachings in class on Grimm.

'Grimm cannot have scars. They are made of purely nothing but pure hate and anger.'

The scars even looked familiar. They looked like… no it couldn't be…

The beowolf roared and threw a punch at me. I dodged and fired an arrow at it, but that seemed to barely pierce the skin and now it seemed pissed off. It roared before it threw a body at me. I dodged and when I saw the next attack, I was already hit by the fist. I flew back and slammed against the wall. I got up, grabbed my weapon, and ran as fast as I could out of there.

I made it out of the hole and saw Ruby.

"Ryuki, what happened?!" She asked.

"Look out!" Blake yelled as she took out a beowolf that was heading towards us.

We all stopped when we heard the loud roar.

We looked at the hole and saw the giant Beowolf push itself through and stare at its new surroundings. It saw Ruby and I and growled.

I reached for the revolver when I saw the normal beowolf running right st us. Ruby was too busy aiming at another enemy and I was starting to pull out the weapon when it almost reached us until…

The big beowolf leapt in front of us and grabbed the normal one by the neck and threw it far away.

"What the?" Ruby asked.

The King Taijitu roared at the Beowolf and the Beowolf roared back before they began to fight.

"What the hell is that?" Weiss asked.

"Right now? Not our enemy." Tatsumi said.

"Keep going teams." Ruby said.

Blake Belladonna slashes a Beowolf with Gambol Shroud before firing on the other approaching Grimm. Weiss Schnee slashes three Beowolves, before summoning a glyph to conjure up an ice blade. Yang, back on the ground, sends several cars flying towards the Grimm.

Sydney was providing close combat damage while Tatsumi was delivering big slow blows to beowolves.

The beowolf roared as it grabbed the taijitu by the tail and swung it against a wall. The giant snake wrapped around the beowolf and bit into its shoulder. Beowolf roared as it grabbed the snake's mouth and pried it open. The beowolf grabbed the snake's fangs and ripped them out before stabbing each one into the kaijitu's eyes.

I provided cover fire when a big Ursa appeared next to me. I almost got hit when I heard a familiar scream.

"Nora Smash!" Nora appeared and slammed her hammer on an Ursa, killing it.

Jaune, Pyrrha, and Ren soon followed her to the fight.

"Let's move!" Pyrrha said.

"Okay, who's first?" Jaune asked.

An Ursa appeared behind him and roared.

"Oh-oh-okay, you're first, huh? Okay, no, that's fine. Totally fine, done this before, done this before..." Jaume said as he prepared himself and unleashed a massive amount of slashes. The beast stood still for a few seconds before it finally fell

A few feet from the fallen Ursa, Sun and Neptune arrive, flashing their badges.

"Nobody move! Junior detectives!" Sun said.

"We have badges so you know it's official!" Neptune said.

Suddenly, we looked above us and saw a fleet coming from the Atlesian Military, consisting of dropships deploying Atlesian Knight-200 units and the flagship of James Ironwood.

 **Pov change: Ironwood**

I saw the destruction and then I saw the big beowolf. I smashed my arm onto the console.

"Dammit!" I yelled.

"Sir?" A soldier asked.

"I want that beowolf terminated." I said.

"Yes sir." The soldier said.

"Ozpin, you idiot…" I said as I deployed the Knights.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

An airship arrived, dropping off Team CFVY and Professor Port. As Yatsuhashi was surrounded by a pack of Grimm, he swung his mighty greatsword on the ground, unleashing a shockwave that knocked out all the surrounding Grimm. Velvet Scarlatina and Fox Alistair respectively kick and punch the Grimm, and Fox unleashes a combo of slashes and punches that make a spiked Ursa explode, impaling the nearby Grimm with its spikes.

"Nice hustle, Fox. Good job." Coco said.

We saw Coco approach a large Beowolf as it roared at her.

"You just destroyed my favorite clothing store," she spat, "prepare to die."

Coco, after swatting away its right hand, kicks the Beowolf in the crotch. She, as it falls to the ground and looks at her, leans down and slams her bag onto its head. She effortlessly swats away more beowolves, and the rest of Team CFVY resume fighting.

I looked at the big beowolf and it jumped away from the gunfire of the soldiers. I saw professors Port and Oobleck regroup at the opening, nodding their heads. They fire their weapons at the approaching Grimm, while Glynda Goodwitch mops up the remnants and immediately closes the opening with the power of telekinesis.

Most of the Grimm were dead when we saw a large group of soldiers aiming their guns at the big beowolf.

"READY! AIM!" The soldiers yelled.

I ran over and jumped in front of the soldiers.

"RYUKI!" Ruby yelled.

"FIRE!" The solider yelled as I landed.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

I felt… cold. It was cold wherever I was. I opened my eyes to see that I was in darkness. I looked at my hands and saw that they were clear of all marks.

"It appears that you are awake." I heard.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"I am the one that helped unlock your power." She said.

I looked around me and still saw nothing.

"You wish to see what your power is? Very well." She said.

I suddenly saw… destruction, violence, guns aiming at me and looks of horror.

I looked down to see my legs had red vines wrapped around my legs.

"You can be even more powerful. You can take down humanity and Faunus. All you have to do, is join me." The voice said.

I saw the soldiers aiming their guns at me and then I saw Ryuki in front of me, her hand extended, holding a bunch of bullets in the air. I reached my hand out but I knew she would see it. Seeing Ryuki defending me, made me remember what Yang said…

'But if you hate humanity so much, how can it prove you wrong?'

I looked at the Ryuki. She turned to look at me and reached her hand out to me.

"You're wrong." I said. "Humanity and the Faunus have been cruel to us, but that doesn't mean that all of them are bad."

"LIES!" The red vines wrapped around my limbs and tried to pull me down.

"I choose to give humanity another chance." I said.

The vines burned off and I felt a major weight taken off of my shoulders.

"You think that you have won, but your destiny is set in fate. The beast shall challenge the sister and the beast shall perish along with the sister. Nothing you can do can stop it." The voice said as it faded away.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

I jumped in front of the firing squad and stopped most of the bullets.

"STAND DOWN!" The soldier yelled.

I looked down and saw the blood had started coming out of the fresh gunshot that I received but I didn't care. I lowered my hand and saw the bullets land on the ground. I placed my hand on my wound as I turned to look at the beowolf who was staring at me.

I reached my hand out towards it towards the Grimm and see sign language to best of my ability.

'Satoshi.' I said.

I stretched my hand out to place on the grimm's head. It snarled before it sniffed my hand and planted its forehead on my hand. Suddenly, the Grimm fell to its knees and began to shrink down. It's legs seemed to snap back into human legs, as did it's arms. Before I knew it, a figure in black sludge was crouched in front of me. I wiped some of it off and saw it was Satoshi.

I gasped and hugged him tightly.

"Hey… what did I miss?" He asked.

"We need a medic and a fresh set of clothes!" A soldier yelled.

 **Pov change: Ozpin**

"Ozpin? Ozpin!" I heard behind me

I turned my chair towards my desk.

"Yes, Councilman." I said as I stared at the screen with a council of people and Ironwood.

"You've left us no choice! The Vytal Festival tournament cannot be broadcast, let alone held, if we are unable to ensure the safety of the citizens. For God's sake, you didn't even inform us that you had students who were part Grimm."

I took a sip from my cup.

"Ahem... Therefore, we have reached out to the Atlas Council and together have decided that the best action is to appoint General Ironwood as head of security for the event." The councilman said.

"Thank you, Councilman. Our Kingdom is happy to lend as many troops as it takes to ensure that the event runs smoothly and safely as possible. And I promise that the twins shall be under close watch."

"And we thank you, General." The councilman said.

"Will that be all?" I asked.

"For now. But after this festival comes to a close, we are going to have a serious discussion about your position at Beacon Academy. General Ironwood's reports over the last few weeks have left us somewhat... concerned. I am sure you understand." The councilman said as they ended the call.

The faceless councilmen's feed disappears, leaving Ironwood's video feed alone with me. We silently stared at each other for a moment.

"This is the right move, Ozpin. I promise, I will keep our people safe, and the twins, you have to trust me." Ironwood said.

Ironwood hung up the video call. I then turned my chair around to look at the large Atlesian Ariship outside my window.

"You failed." I said.

"He has unlocked his gift, it is only a matter of time before it grows more powerful than him. You know it as do I." Salem said before she vanished.

 **Pov change: Cinder**

Mercury, Emerald, and I watched from the rooftop as the children were taken back to the school

"All in all, I call today a success." I said.

"Those stupid kids really made a mess of things." Emerald said.

"Yeah. A lot of Faunus didn't make it out the tunnels. And what about that kid with the Grimm power. You still think the White Fang's gonna listen to us after that?" Mercury asked.

"No, but they'll listen to me." We looked and saw our new partner, Adam Taurus.

"And leave the boy to me. I shall take care of him." I said.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

Teams STRS and RWBY sat at the edge of a platform, looking at the city. My wound was healing which was good. Satoshi was awake but felt weak, he had an arm cast, so he was taking things lightly. He sat next to Yang and placed his head on her shoulder. I sat with Ruby and held her hand. Blake and Weiss were looking out at the view. Tatsumi placed his arm on Sydney who glared at him before she nodded and he placed it on her shoulder.

"Well, we did it." Yang said.

"We did it." Blake said.

"I feel like a huge weight was taken off of me." Satoshi said.

"If we don't get extra credit for that, I'm gonna be seriously disappointed." Weiss said.

"Weiss, a two-headed snake literally crushed a bakery. I wouldn't count on it." Blake said.

"And I kinda flew through a building or two." Tatsumi said.

"Plus, I mean, we didn't solve everything. A lot of people were hurt, and we still don't even know why they did this, or who that mystery girl was." Ruby said.

'I'm sure we'll figure it out.' I said.

"Well, not every story has a neat and tidy ending." Weiss said.

"We might not have all the answers, but we do have a lot of dangerous people behind bars. And I think that's something we could be proud of." Blake said.

"Yeah! And if anyone tries something like this again, we'll be there to stop them." Ruby held my hand with her other hand. "Together."

I smiled and kissed her on the cheek.

"Yay, teamwork, camaraderie, good guys, go team, alright, good job... So, what now?" Yang asked.

"I would suggest training for the tournament, but I guess we have that covered at this point." Weiss said.

"I totally forgot about that." Satoshi said.

"So then..." Yang said.

"Uhh... Time for bed?" Ruby asked.

I nodded enthusiastically.

"Please." Yang said.

"Anything with a pillow." Satoshi said.

"Absolutely." Blake said.

"I think my arms and legs have already fallen asleep." Tatsumi said.

"Yes." Weiss said.

Sydney turned invisible and started to run to the dorm room.

"I'm going to sleep forever." Yang said.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

We began to walk back to the dorms when I looked down at my arm. It had a small hint of black lines.

"You can never forget what you really are…" I heard that woman say.

I looked around to see everyone walking ahead and Ryuki look at me.

"I am Satoshi Suni… the human Grimm." I said as I walked towards my friends and family.

 **End of season 2**


	25. Chapter 25

**Pov: Salem**

"Ah the tales of the grimm. The Story of the Boy Who Became A Grimm." I said.

"I have not heard that one." Cinder said.

"Not many have. It is an ancient and rare book that few have. Read it."

Cinder grabbed the book and opened it.

"The Story of the Boy Who Became A Grimm. Wait, the boy at Beacon…"

"I said read it."

"The story tells the tale of two twin children. Both given an eye of Grimm. The twins were shunned and beaten for most of their life. However, the girl, a mute, saw the world as a free world where she believed that the world is still a good place and has many good people. The boy, on the other hand, had grown to hate humanity. The boy's hatred for humanity allowed the Grimm inside him to take control of him. This is the prophecy of the twins: when the birds of darkness fall from the skies, when the creatures of night flood the kingdoms, the beast shall emerge, unable to control himself, will strike those close to him. The girl, with bow and a single arrow of fire, shall be forced to fight. Upon the ruins of their safe haven, the beast shall leap at its prey. The prey will fight back and in result must come to two decisions… kill the one closest to her, or risk the loss of her own life." Cinder said.

"When you return to Beacon, I have a mission for you." I said.

 **Pov change: Ozpin**

I sat in my chair and looked across my desk to see Ryuki, Tatsumi, and Sydney.

"Good evening children, I suppose you know why you are here." I said.

"Satoshi…" Tatsumi said.

"Correct." I said.

'How did that happen?' Ryuki asked.

"You and Satoshi have gifts Ryuki. You with your telekinesis and Satoshi with his super strength. However, Satoshi's longing hatred for humanity has allowed the Grimm in him to be more of a part of him than you have. Which is why I have brought you here."

"Why?" Sydney asked.

"Your leader is a possible threat in the eyes of some higher ups and some dangerous individuals. I would like you three to keep an eye on him for your's and his sake." I said.

They all nodded.

"Very well then, you three may go."

Sydney and Tatsumi got up and left, but Ryuki stayed.

'Headmaster, I have a question.'

"What is it, Ryuki?" I asked.

'Can I become what Satoshi became… a monster?' Ryuki asked.

I sighed and walked over to her.

"Ryuki, you and your brother are very special. You two have survived what others could not. However, you took on the world in a brighter way than your brother did and that allowed the evil in his heart to take control. I believe that evil in you is long gone and has little to no chance of it happening to you. You are a kind young woman, with a wonderful group of family and friends." I said.

She nodded and got up.

'Thank you.' Ryuki said before she left.

I nodded my head and waved goodbye as she left.

 **Pov change: Yang**

Ever since the event in downtown, two military soldiers were standing guard in front of Satoshi's room. I managed to get in but I had only thirty minutes to be with him. When I walked in, he was staring at his arm and I saw black lines moving through his arm before they disappeared.

"Yang." He said as he looked at me.

He struggled to get up but I walked over and helped him. I walked him over to the bed and sat him down.

"Thank you…" He said, "it took me twenty minutes to get there."

I sat down beside him and placed my hand on his shoulder.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

He looked down and I saw his arms.

"You probably think I'm a freak…" Satoshi said.

I pulled him in for a hug.

"You know me, it's gonna take a lot more than becoming a Grimm to make me hate you. Like cutting my hair." I said.

He chuckled a bit before he added more weight to his head on my shoulder.

"Would you like me to-"

"Stay…" He said as we stayed in ten embrace.

I smiled as I tightened my hug.

"Okay." I smiled.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

I knocked on the door and waited. Ruby opened the door and smiled. She was wearing her pajamas, the cute ones.

"Hey." She smiled.

I looked at her with a sad look.

Her happy face became one of concern and held my hand.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

I hugged Ruby tightly and cried into her shoulder. Ruby hugged me back and patted me on the back.

"Everything will be fine…" Ruby said.

I looked at her and nodded.

"Come on." Ruby said.

We walked over to the bed and laid down together.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

Yang was sitting with me until the two guards appeared and told her it was time to leave. She looked at me and kissed me on the cheek.

"I'll see you soon." Yang said.

I nodded and watched as she walked away.

I laid down and sighed.

"I better get some sleep…" I said as I closed my eyes.


	26. Chapter 26

**Pov: Ruby**

I stood atop the edge of a cliff, looking down sadly at my mother. A grave that said, 'Summer Rose – Thus Kindly I Scatter'.

"Hey, mom. Sorry I haven't come by in a while. Things have been... well, things have been, pretty busy. Oh, Dad's here, too! He's, uh, you know... Dad," I shrugged, "He's still teaching at Signal. But he told me that he's going to be on some mission soon. I think he misses adventuring with you… I miss you too… Haven't gotten kicked out of Beacon yet! So that's cool. I think being on a team with Yang helps. Keep her in line... heh That was a joke. She's actually a really great fighter! You can tell she's learned a lot from Dad! Oh, so are Weiss and Blake. Oh! They're my teammates! Together, we form Team RWBY! And yes, before you ask, that does cause a lot of confusion. Anyways, I made a bunch of new friends, and then I met some... let's just say, uh, odd teachers. I also met someone… she's really nice and she has a cool Grimm eye. Her name's Ryuki and she is so amazing. I love her so much and we kick butt all the time. Her brother is special too, he has a Grimm eye as well. Last semester, he even became this giant Grimm. We're still trying to piece together how, but he's still good in my book. Oh! We've also stopped some bad guys, too! I guess it's like they say: 'like mother, like daughter'! I still wonder why Ozpin let me into the school early. But uh, I guess he'll tell me one day. You know how he is. It's funny, the more I get to know him, the more he's starting to sound like Uncle Qrow," I heard a bark behind me and saw dad and zwei, "Oh! Looks like Dad's back! I gotta go! He's dropping me off at Beacon for the tournament match before he goes on his next mission. Wish me luck!" I put my hood on and began to walk away. "It was good to talk."

With that said, I jogged back to my family.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

The last five weeks have been hell here. I wasn't allowed to see anyone without Ironwood's permission and even then, the soldiers would monitor us. Sydney and Ryuki have been with me most of the time since they're my teammates. Tatsumi went home but should be returning soon.

'It sucks we're not in the tournament.' Ryuki said.

"I'd rather avoid all the attention." Sydney said.

They looked at me and saw I was drawing a picture of Yang.

"I'm sure she'll do well out there." Sydney said.

I nodded and saw my hand had some black lines on it.

"How are you doing?" Sydney asked.

"I've been trapped in this room for five weeks, not allowed to leave or even eat without someone watching me." I said.

'They're just worried. No one has ever become a Grimm before. Ever.' Ryuki said.

"That just makes me an even bigger freak." I said.

Ryuki put her hand on my shoulder.

'It makes you special.' Ryuki said.

I smiled and put my hand on her's.

"Thanks sis."

I looked at the time.

"You guys should head over. It's almost their fight." I said.

Ryuki nodded and pulled out a scroll and handed it to me.

'For watching.' Ryuki said.

I nodded and took it.

"Don't die in here. I'd rather not bunk with any other team." Sydney said.

When they left, I looked at the drawing of Yang. I picked it up and set it to the side as I pulled out another paper and began to write.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

Crowds were cheering in the stands, visitors were here from all over the world. And on the field of volcanic earth and icy glaciers below, I watched as Ruby fired and swung her Crescent Rose at one of the other team members as Blake was fighting Reese Chloris, another opponent. Blake's Gambol Shroud collided with Reese's hoverboard. Behind her, Weiss waved her rapier at her opponent. Finally, Yang dodged an explosion from her opponent, Arslan Altan, before returning fire with her gauntlets.

We looked up to see the judges were professors Port and Oobleck on the screen.

'Hello! It seems that we have another astonishing bout ahead of us! Wouldn't you agree, Professor?' Port asked.

'Doctor. And yes Peter, I think it's safe to say this match may be the closest we've seen of the four-on-four round of the tournament!' Oobleck said.

'For those of you just now joining us, welcome to the Vytal Festival Tournament, broadcast live from the Amity Colosseum!' He said.

'If this is your first time watching, allow us to break down the rules.' Port said.

'The tournament is divided into three distinctive rounds; teams, doubles, and singles. Age and school year are irrelevant! In this tournament, your only attribute being tested... is skill.' Oobleck said.

'Correct! The winners of this battle will elect two of their members to represent them in the doubles round, followed by the winners of that round choosing one member to advance once again. The remaining combatants will then fight their way through the final bracket in the hope of achieving victory for their kingdom!' Port said.

'And yes, Peter, these certainly are some spectacular spectacles on which to spectate on! I don't think anyone tuning in around the world is going to disagree with me on that!' Oobleck said.

'Ahh, and why would they? Now, let's get back to the match between Team RWBY of Beacon, and Team ABRN, of Haven.' Port said.

As we watched, I was seeing Ruby as she was doing very well in the fight.

"She's doing well out there." Tatsumi said.

I nodded as I saw her freeze a guy's legs.

"Got your back!" Ruby smiled.

"But who's got yours?" The guy asked.

Ruby behind her to see one of the opponents about to strike when Weiss kicks him into a rock.

"My BFF!" Ruby yelled.

"No." Weiss said simply.

Ruby seemed happy before she went back to the fight.

"Seems like Ruby likes Weiss. Mayb-"

Sydney elbowed Tatsumi in the gut.

'Thank you.' I said.

Sydney just continued eating popcorn.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

'Ooh, a double whammy! Reese Chloris is eliminated by ringout and Aura level!' I heard professor Port say.

'Oh, she really should've worn a helmet!' Professor oobleck said.

I sighed and got up. I got dressed, put on my eyepatch, walked over and opened the door. The two guards turned around to look at me.

"What do you think you're doing?" One of them asked.

"I'm going for a walk." I said.

"Yeah right, go ahead and crawl back into your little room you Grimm freak." The other guard said.

I clenched my fists as I began to get angry.

"I have been stuck in this room for five weeks. You guys haven't even let me go to the bathroom alone. I just want five minutes to myself." I said.

"You're by yourself in there most of the day. Besides, we don't let beasts go on walks without a leash." The first soldier said.

I pulled back for a punch when we heard voices.

"Mr. Suni, stand down."

The soldiers immediately froze up and stood straight.

"General Ironwood, sir!" They both said.

I lowered my hand when I saw the general.

"Dismissed." He said.

"Sir I-"

"Was that a question?" He asked.

The two soldiers walked away from their post and left me with the general.

"Would you like to take a walk?" He asked.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

'And that's the match! Team RWBY is victorious!' Port said.

I was so happy that team RWBY won that I ran down from the seats to the lower area where the teams were. When I saw Ruby, I sprinted over and picked her up and twirled. I pulled her in for a deep kiss on the cheek.

"RYUKI!" Ruby squirmed free.

"Someone's happy." Yang said.

"You guys did well. You also had some nice moves." Tatsumi said.

"So help me god, you make one more sexual comment about anyone else, I will burn you in your sleep." Sydney said.

We all chuckled.

"Let's head to the main festival." Blake said.

Ruby looked at me.

"You know, I'll catch up with you guys." Ruby said.

I smiled as we walked away from the others.

We walked around until we made it to a vacant corridor. Ruby looked at me and I smiled at her.

We pulled each other in for a deep kiss. I felt her pull me down a bit so we could meet eye to eye. I placed my hand on the back of her head and pushed her closer. We broke apart and stared at each other.

"That was so worth the fight." She said.

I smiled and kissed her on the lips lightly.

"We should get going. I am getting hungry." Ruby said.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

"How are you feeling?" Ironwood asked.

"Being called a dog or a beast kinda pisses me off." I said.

"I apologize for my soldiers. They may be the best, but not the nicest." He said.

"I still don't understand why I have to stay in my room all day." I said.

"I expected that you wouldn't. Your Grimm powers can't be known. We are making sure that you are safe until the end of the tournament." He said.

"Safe from what?" I asked.

"I am not allowed to say. If it were up to me, this tournament would not be happening. However, stopping it would cause panic. But that's not the point, what is important is that you are safe. That being said… it appears that I lost you for one single hour here." He said.

I looked around and saw that we were at the main festival.

"And it just so happened that I last spotted you over by your teammates over there." He pointed and I saw my teammates and Yang.

"Thank you sir." I said.

He nodded and walked away.

I walked over and placed my hands over Yang's eyes.

"Guess wh-WHOA!" Yang grabbed my hands and flipped me over onto the ground.

"Oh my god, Satoshi! I'm so sorry." Yang said as she helped me up.

"I'm finally alone to hang out and my girlfriend throws me to the ground." I wiped myself off.

"How did you even get away?" Blake asked.

"Ironwood." I said.

Ruby and Ryuki walked over when they saw me.

"Satoshi!" Ruby smiled. "Welcome."

"I have an hour to myself. So what are you guys up to?" I asked.

"Is anyone else hungry?" Ruby asked.

"I may have worked up an appetite." Blake said before her stomach growled.

"Gee, if only there was somewhere on campus to get food around here… oh wait."

"It's okay, Weiss, I forget about the fairgrounds, too." Ruby said.

Ryuki held Ruby's shoulder to try to explain.

"I was being facetious?" Weiss said with an obviously look.

"Gah! Well if you were hungry, why didn't you say so!?" Ruby asked.

'Come on! I know just the place." Yang said.

"Hey! Might be hard to eat without this." We looked behind us to see Emerald holding Ruby's wallet.

"No, no, no, no!" Ruby searched her pockets.

I felt something touch my neck but it must have been a bug or something.

"Good to see you, Ruby." Emerald said as she handed the wallet to Ruby.

"Oh! Thanks, Emerald! Oh. Guess I dropped it. Girl pockets are the worst!" Ruby took the wallet and slouched.

"What's up, Em?" Yang asked.

"Just left the stadium after your amazing fight! You guys were awesome!" Emerald said.

"Oh, shut your stupid little face..." Ruby mumbled.

"I heard your team progressed to the next round too." Blake said over Ruby.

"You know, I feel that we haven't seen your other teammates." Weiss said.

"They shy or something?" Sydney asked.

Tatsumi nudged her.

"How'd they do in the fight?" Yang asked.

"Really well." Emerald said.

"That's great. Uh. Why don't we all go and get a victory food together." Ruby said.

"Oh, gosh, that's so nice of you, but my teammates are all kind of…" we looked behind her as she stared her teammate, Mercury, sniffing a shoe and looking disgusted, "introverted. Really socially awkward."

"Ooh, yeah, I could see that." Yang said.

"Oh yeah, looks like Merc and I are going to move on to the doubles round. What about you guys?" Emerald said.

"Well, as the leader of this team, I thought long and hard about this decision." Ruby said.

"We put it to a vote." Weiss said over her.

"Eheheh yes, so, but I decided that we should put it to a vote." Ruby nervously laughed.

"We voted for Weiss and Yang." Blake said.

"I will happily represent Team RWBY." Weiss bowed.

"Yeah, we're going to kick some butt!" Yang said, hitting her fists together.

"Well, if Mercury and I see you down the line, don't think we'll go easy on ya." Emerald said.

"Wouldn't have it any other way." Yang said.

"Alright, well we're going to catch some more fights."

"Have fun!" Ruby waved.

Emerald looked at me before she turned around and walked away.

"See you later!" Emerald waved.

 **Pov change: Emerald**

I put my finger to my ear to make it look like I was cleaning it.

"And?" I asked.

'The bug has been planted.' Cinder said.

I smirked as I went towards Mercury.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

We made it to a tent called 'A Simple Wok' and saw that they had noodles. I still had twenty seven minutes. We all sat down and began to order.

"I'll have a bowl of the regular, please." Yang said.

A large bowl slid over to her.

"Oohhh... I'll take the same." Ruby said. She was happy when a large bowl came over to her.

Ryuki lifted her finger, signaling she'd like one too.

"Shrimp." I said.

A bowl of noodles with giant pieces of shrimp appeared in front of me.

"Do you have anything with a low-salt-" a bowl of noodles slid over to her. "Um... okay..."

"Just some tempura." Sydney said.

A bowl of noodles appeared with tempura on it."

Sydney got angry and began to get up when Tatsumi got a plate and put her tempura on it and took the noodles. This seemed to please Sydney and sat down.

Instead of saying anything, Blake merely gives a nod and smile to the Shopkeeper, who returns the gesture as he rushes through one door of his shop and comes out the other to leave a large bowl of noodles topped with fish in front of her.

We all got a bit concerned as she began to drool.

Weiss handed the Shopkeeper her dust company credit card.

"Aw, Weiss! What's the occasion!?" Yang asked.

"Consider it thanks for sending me to the doubles round."

Suddenly the card was thrown back at her and we saw the Shopkeeper point at the register and it said 'declined'.

"What?! How can my card be declined? I was barely into my monthly allowance!"

Blake tried to sneak the bowl towards her when the Shopkeeper yanked it away.

"Nooo!" Blake groaned.

"Maybe I could help?" We turned to see team JNPR.

"Pyrrha!" Ruby cheered.

"Aw, you don't have to-" Yang began.

"But she could!" Blake glared at Yang.

"Well, I think you all earned it after that battle." Pyrrha said.

"Mind if we join you?" Jaune asked.

The bowls soon became empty, and each of us were is either content with our meal or holding our stomachs sickly, except Sydney who was reading a book. Ryuki and Ruby were lying against each other, ready to collapse.

"Are you sure it's wise to have eaten before a fight?" Ren asked Pyrrha.

"Of course! It will give us energy!" Pyrrha said.

Nora simply gave a hearty belch.

"If I barf, I'm blaming you." Jaune said.

"Ooh! Aim at the enemy!" Nora smirked evilly.

"Nora, that's disgusting. But if you feel the urge…" Ren said.

"Got it." Jaune gave a thumbs up.

"Well, we should be off." Ruby said.

"So, you think you guys are ready?" Ruby asked.

"Of course! We've got a world-renowned fighter on our team, one's basically ninja, I can bench five of me, Jaune, we trained all year, our weapons are awesome, Glynda barely yells at us anymore, and uh... Jaune!" Nora said.

"Are you gonna take that?" Ren asked Jaune.

"She's not wrong." Jaune said.

"I'm kidding, he knows I'm kidding. Don't be so nervous! The worst that can happen is we lose, that is just a few more years of walking around school with everyone knowing we're failures, our friends will slowly abandon us to preserve their social status, we won't be able to show our faces in class, no one will sit with us in the cafeteria, Ren and I have no parents, we have no home left to go to, we'll be officially renamed Team Lose-iper!" Nora slammed her head onto the table.

"So, yeah, we're feeling pretty good." Ren said.

"Don't fret. If anything, we should be looking forward to a fight with actual guidelines, and not, well, ...murderers." Pyrrha said.

"Yeah, don't sweat it, we've all faced way worse before." Yang said.

"Let's see. Grimm invasions, violent extremists, a destructive sociopath-"

"Me." I said.

Everyone looked at me.

"A-And that's all while we were still in training! Oh, imagine what it would be like to graduate!" Ruby changed the subject.

"Maybe then I'll be able to pay for a meal." Weiss mumbled.

'Would Team JNPR please report to the battlegrounds immediately!' We heard professor Port say.

'Yes! Like they were scheduled to, several minutes ago!' Doctor Oobleck said.

"Well, it looks like this is it." Pyrrha said.

"Go get 'em!" Ruby said.

"We should head over." Yang said.

"Yeah!" Ruby dashed off, Ryuki after her.

I looked at the time… five minutes.

"I have to go back." I said.

"You guys go on ahead." Yang said.

The others walked away and left Yang and I alone.

"Come here, you Grimm boy." Yang smiled.

I leaned towards her. I felt her arms wrap around my head and pull me in for a kiss.

I enjoyed the feeling. It was… nice.

"It's been so long since we've been alone together." I said.

"This counts as being alone?" Yang asked.

"Away from the others." I said.

"Maybe some other day, we can go to downtown and go exploring." Yang said.

"Set Junior's bar on fire." I said.

"Exactly!" Yang chuckled. Her chuckling stopped as I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see General Ironwood.

"Mr. Suni." He said.

"I know." I said as I turned back to Yang.

"I'll call you soon." Yang kissed my cheek as she went after her teammates.

I got up and was escorted home.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

We made it to the arena and took our seats as the intercom turned on.

'Team JNPR of Beacon versus Team BRNZ of Shade!' Port said.

The ground raised a giant roulette table and spun. The two decided lands were forests and mountains. Ruby cheered loudly as we all heard the countdown.

'Three, two, one, begin!' Port yelled.


	27. Chapter 27

**Pov: Satoshi**

'3... 2... 1... BEGIN!' Port yelled.

I heard the battle begin as Ironwood and I were walking back to my room. However, I suddenly found us in front of the elevator to Ozpin. We got in and began to go up.

"What're we doing?" I asked.

"You still need to give your report." He said.

I completely forgot about those. The doors opened and ozpin was sitting there with his cup of coffee and waiting.

"Thank you, General." Ozpin said.

Ironwood nodded and went down the elevator to give us some privacy. I walked over and sat down.

"I assume you do not remember these little meetings?" Ozpin asked.

"So much has happened there was no way I could have remembered." I said.

"How have you been recently?" Ozpin asked.

"I've been as well as I can be, given my situation." I said.

"And how have you been mentally?" Ozpin asked.

"Ever since the… transformation, I've been having dreams. Dreams so real I felt like I was there."

"And what happened in these dreams?" Ozpin asked.

"I saw death… chaos… Grimm everywhere… and…"

"Go ahead." Ozpin said.

"I saw my sister… she was staring at me and crying and was aiming her bow at me. Tatsumi had been injured and Sydney was protecting him. What does that mean?" I asked.

"Hmm… I believe that this is a simple case of having nightmares. You fear what may happen next time that you become a Grimm." Ozpin said.

I looked down.

"My advice is to try and get some rest and I will discuss with the general to give you some more time with your team." Ozpin said.

"Thank you headmaster." I said.

"Now you better get going." Ozpin said.

I got up and walked over to the elevator to head down.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

'Oh-ho! Looks like one of my favorite students, Nora Valkyrie, is charging up to use her Semblance!' Port said.

"What?!" We heard.

"Yes, Ms. Valkyrie's Semblance lets her produce, as well as channel, electrical energy straight to her muscles! This allows her to jump explosively into the air, wield her mighty hammer, or in this case, absorb Nolan's attacks and send the young man flying!"

"What?!" We heard again.

The opponent finally took his cattle prod away, but the damage was done: Nora flexes her arms as pink lightning is seen coursing through her body. The guy attempted to lift his hands up in surrender, but thunder starts sparking from Nora's Aura as she rushes at him. In an instant, the opponent was out.

"Yeah! Go get 'em, Jaune!" Ruby yelled.

I clapped my hands as I saw Pyrrha fight two guys at once.

"Well, he's certainly improved." Weiss said.

"Yeah, but he ain't got nothing on Pyrrha!" Yang said.

I watched as Ruby was clapping and cheering, which made me happy… but I felt that Satoshi needed someone to talk to.

I grabbed Ruby's shoulder and shook her.

"Huh?"

'I'm heading back to see Satoshi.' I said.

"But the fight is SO COOOL!" Ruby said.

"Ruby I think she's just letting you know she's leaving." Yang said.

"OH! I'm sorry. Ryuki, I'll see you later." Ruby kissed my cheek.

I walked down the stairs and left the arena.

 **Later**

I walked down the hall and passed Cardin's group.

"Hey look who it is! The mute. Hey mute, why is your brother always in your room?" One of them asked.

"Why do you think she's going back alone? HAHAHA!" They all laughed.

I used my semblance and slammed Cardin into the wall and tackle his teammates. I walked down the hallway and saw the two guards. They moved out of the way and I walked in.

Satoshi was on his bed staring at his hand when he saw me.

"Ryuki." He looked at me.

'You look bored out of your mind.' I said.

I walked over and sat down next to him.

'How is it here?' I asked.

"Boring as usual." Satoshi said.

I looked at the soldiers and sighed.

'They won't let me take you to see the others.' I said.

"I am not surprised. They're just assholes." Satoshi said.

'Remember when we were after that Atlus shipment of food?' I asked.

"I still can't believe we were able to outrun them, we were so hungry." Satoshi said.

We both chuckled.

'How is your arm?'

He raised it and we saw the black lines were here and there.

"I don't know… it comes and goes." He said.

'What does?'

"The voice…"

'The voice?' I asked.

He looked down before looking at me. The only two differences were the black lines going up his neck and he suddenly had two Grimm eyes.

My eyes widened as I started to get up. However, he grabbed my arm tightly and continued to tighten his grip.

"The story will be complete and you will know what you must do." I heard two voices: his and someone else's.

His eye changed back and let go immediately.

"Ryuki… I…" he backed up.

I saw the hard bruise on my arm but I didn't care. I was more worried for my brother. I pulled out an aura pack and injected myself. The bruise lightened up but was still noticeable.

'Satoshi, I'm okay. You are not. Tell me What our want me to do.' I said.

He began to tear up and hugged me.

"I don't know." He said.

I returned the hug and we stood there for a while.

 **Pov change: Salem**

I watched them hug each other and I smiled.

"This is going to be fun."

 **Pov change: Ozpin**

I do not know why, but I had a feeling that something was going to happen soon. Which isn't good.

 **Pov change: random man at a bar**

"Now that was a match!" The bartender whistled.

"Heh, that was a mess!" I said.

"Come on man, you didn't like them, the Vale kids, or any of the rounds before that? What fight are you here for?" The bartender asked.

I turned around and saw a giant Atlesian ship heading for the landing docks.

"That one. Happy Vytal Festival!" I said as I went onwards my destination.

 **Pov change: Ruby**

We just finished watching team SSSN win.

"Aw, that was so close!" I said.

"Looks like the dorks made it to the next round!" Yang said.

"Emphasis on 'dork'." Blake blushed.

'That concludes the matches for today. Please leave the Coliseum IN A CALM AND ORDERLY FASHION!' Oobleck said.

"Come on, let's go congratulate 'em." Yang said.

We got up and began to walk out when we looked up and saw a giant ship heading towards the landing zone. I especially noticed Weiss was amazed by it.

"Uh, what are you viewing?" I asked.

"She's here!" Weiss said with some strain in her voice.


	28. Chapter 28

**Pov: Ryuki**

I walked with Satoshi out of the room. I couldn't leave him in like a caged animal. He's more than that.

I opened the door and the two soldiers looked at me.

'My shift.' I said.

"Fine." The soldier said as he and the other soldier walked away.

 **Pov: Ruby**

I was chasing Weiss as she seemed to be running towards the landing platform. The others went back to their rooms, however, I think Sydney and Tatsumi were off to go to downtown.

"Weiss! What is the big deal!? Who is it? Who is SHE!?" I asked.

"…Winter." Weiss said as we saw multiple soldiers and mechs leaving a ship. After them, a woman came out that looked like Weiss.

"Wait... Your sister?" I asked.

Weiss cupped her mouth and yelled, "Winter!"

We ran over to the older Schnee. She looked at us and Weiss began to speak.

"Winter! I'm so happy to see you! Oh..." she curtsied, "Your presence honors us."

"Beacon... It's been a long time. The air feels... different." She said.

"I mean it is fall, so, eh, it's probably colder." I said quietly.

Weiss punched me in the shoulder and looked back at Winter.

"So, what are you doing here?" Weiss asked.

"Classified." Winter said.

"Oh, right. Well, how long are you staying?" Weiss asked.

"Classified." Winter said.

"Of course." Weiss nodded and smiled.

"Well... this is nice... I think." I said quietly.

"You're going to love it here! I know you travel a lot, but so much of Beacon is different from Atlas! Vale, too. The government and school are completely separate! Can you believe it!? I-"

"I'm more than familiar with how this kingdom handles its... bureaucracy. That is not why I came." Winter said.

"Right! I'm sorry!" Weiss said.

"Nor did I come here to watch my own blood fail so miserably in battle. But it appears that I have no choice in the matter." Winter said.

"But, we won!" Weiss seemed puzzled.

"Only a novice would refer to that as a victory. I counted at least three strikes missed." Winter looked to her security, "Leave us."

She looked at us when her men were gone.

"How have you been?" Winter asked.

"Oh, splendid! Thank you for asking. I'm actually in the very top ranking of our sparring class! And the rest of my studies are going wonderfully, too! I'm-" Weiss stopped as Winter slapped Weiss on the head.

"Silence, you boob! I don't recall asking about your ranking, I'm asking how you've been. Are you eating properly? Have you taken up any hobbies? Are you making new friends?" Winter asked, almost sincerely.

"Well, there's Ruby."

"Heh, boob." I giggled.

"I see. So this is the leader you wrote of. How appropriately... underwhelming." Winter said.

"Uh... Thank you!"

"Greetings, Ruby Rose. I wish to thank you for taking an interest in my sister." Winter said.

"Oh! Uh, yes, of course! The honor is in my... court!" I saluted, then curtsied before almost falling off.

"I have business with the General and your Headmaster. But, seeing as I'm early, why don't you take me to your quarters?" Winter asked.

"Really?" Weiss asked.

"Yes. I wish to inspect them and make sure that they are up to my personal standards." Winter said.

"Of course. Just so you're aware, the bunk beds only look unstable."

"Bunk beds?" Winter asked.

"I'll catch up- I mean, I will... reconvene with you both... at a later... juncture! At a juncture. Yeah." I said awkwardly.

"Wow." I heard behind me.

I looked to see Satoshi.

"Oh my god, you're out again!" I said.

"Yeah, all thanks to the one behind you." He said.

I turned around to see Ryuki's face inches from mine.

"AH!" I leapt backwards.

Pov change: Weiss

"I must ask, do you know Satoshi Suni?" Winter asked.

"Yes I do." Weiss said.

"How has he acted?"

"He has been nice. He has also been very protective of those close to him."

"I believe that you recall the events of what happened a few months ago seeing how you were there?"

"Yes I do." I said.

"Has he at any point shown signs of anger?" Winter asked.

I almost spoke when we heard behind us.

"Hey! Yeah, I'm talking to you, Ice Queen!" We saw a very drunk man, holding one of the Atlesian Knights' bodies.

Winter's robots walked up and aimed their rifles when Winter spoke.

"Halt!" She said.

"Excuse me! Do you have any idea who you are talking to!?" I walked up and said angrily.

He placed his hand on my face.

"Sssshhh. Not you." He pushed me aside.

"Hey!" I said.

"You." He said to Winter, "Saw that gaudy ship of yours in town. I guess you're here, too."

"I'm standing right before you." Winter said.

"So it would seem."

"You realize you just destroyed Atlas Military property." Winter said.

"Oh, oh I'm sorry. See, I mistook this for some sort of... sentient garbage." The man said sarcastically.

"I don't have time for your immature games, Qrow." Winter said.

"Wait, you two know each other?" I asked.

"Geez, you Atlas Specialists think you're so special, don't you?" Qrow asked.

"It's in the title." Winter said.

"Well, you know what you really are? A bunch of sellouts. Just like your boss." Qrow said.

"I'm not sure what you think you're implying, but I've heard enough." Winter said.

"Oh I heard, too. I heard ol' Ironwood finally turned his back on Ozpin." Qrow said.

"Ozpin?" I asked.

Winter pushed me away.

"Weiss, it's time for you to go."

"What-" I began.

"Listen to big sister, Weiss. She'll protect you. Just like Atlas is going to protect all of us, huh?" Qrow asked.

"If you won't hold your tongue, then I will gladly remove it for you!" Winter pulled out her sword.

"Alright then... Come take it." Qrow slicked his hair back.

Pov change: Ruby

I was enjoying my time with Ryuki and Satoshi when we heard the sounds of explosions and gunshots.

"What the hell is happening over there?" Satoshi asked.

"I don't know." I said. "Let's find out."

We ran over to the crowd and pushed through when we saw Weiss.

"What's going on!?" I asked.

"Some crazy guy just started attacking my sister!" Weiss said.

"Oh no! Who would do such a th- THAT'S MY UNCLE!" I screamed.

"What?!" Weiss asked.

"Kick her butt, Uncle Qrow!" I yelled.

"Teach him respect, Winter!" Weiss yelled.

"Who are you two going with?" Ruby asked.

Ryuki held Ruby's hand and jumped.

"I don't know what's happening." Satoshi said.

The fight continued for quite a while. However, when Winter was close to attacking uncle qrow, a loud voice was heard.

"SCHNEE!"

We looked to see General Ironwood and Penny behind him.

"General Ironwood, sir!" Winter said.

Ironwood walked up to Winter and Penny was behind him still.

"What in the world do you think you're doing?" He asked.

"I could be asking you the same thing." Qrow asked.

"I-"

"Now, now, everyone. There is a sanctioned fight happening just around the corner at the Colosseum, that I can assure you has better seats... and popcorn." Ozpin appeared with ms. Goodwitch.

"Break it up, everyone! We will take care of this mess." She said.

"Let's go." Ironwood said.

Ironwood looked in our direction and pointed.

"Mr. Suni, please follow us." He said.

Satoshi sighed and began walking away.

"See you guys." He said.

As they walked away, Penny noticed me and quietly waved to me. I politely waved back. I then let all of my enthusiasm out as I hugged uncle Qrow's arm.

"Uncle Qrow! Hi. It's so good to see you! Did you miss me? Did you miss me!?" I yelled.

"Nope." He said with a grin on his face. "Who's the girl?"

I turned to see Ryuki.

"Oh! This is Ryuki, uncle Qrow. The girl I told you and dad about?" I said.

"Ah" He said.

"Qrow! A word, please." Ozpin said.

"I think I'm in trouble." He whispered.

"You did kinda tear up our courtyard." I said.

"Yeah, I did. Catch ya later, kid." He gave me a fist bump as he left.

"And suddenly, your recklessness makes sense." Weiss said.

"You're just mad because he whooped butt." I said.

"That was a draw, at best!" Weiss said.

'I liked him.' Ryuki said.

"Of course you did." Weiss rolled her eyes.

Pov change: Qrow

The kid sat outside while we talked.

"What were you thinking!?" Winter asked.

"If you were one of my men, I would have you shot!" Ironwood said.

"If I was one of your men, I'd shoot myself." I said as I had some of my drink from the flask.

"While I wouldn't condone his behavior, retaliating like you did certainly didn't help the situation." Goodwitch said.

"He was drunk!" Winter said.

"He's always drunk!" Goodwitch said as I was drinking my flask.

"Qrow, why are you here?" Ozpin asked.

"You've been out of contact for weeks! You can't just go dark like that in the field!" Ironwood said.

"I'm not one of your special operatives, Jimmy!" I said.

"General." Winter tried to correct me.

"Whatever. You sent me to get intel on our enemy, and I'm telling you, our enemy is here. And also, that kid out there? Keeping him locked up is just what they want you to do."

"We know." Ironwood said.

"Oh! Oh, you know! Well, thank goodness I'm out there risking my life to keep you all informed!" I said.

"Qrow-"

I pulled out my scroll.

"Communication's a two-way street, pal. You see this? That's the SEND button." I said.

"They had reason to assume you'd been compromised." Winter said.

"And I have reason to assume you don't need to be here. Seriously, who invited her?" I asked.

"Schnee, we'll discuss this incident back at my ship. For now, go escort mr. Suni back to his quarters."

"But sir!" Winter said.

"Winter. Leave." Ironwood said again.

"Yes sir." She saluted before leaving.

"Go on." He said.

"Your little infiltrator isn't just another pawn. They're the one responsible for Autumn's condition and they're planning on making that kid out there wreak havoc during the festival."

"What?" Goodwitch asked.

"Despite what the world thinks, we're not just teachers, or generals, or headmasters. The people in this room, the leaders of the other two academies, we're the ones that keep the world safe from the evils no one even knows about!" I walked up to Ironwood, "It's why we meet behind closed doors, why we work in the shadows. So you tell me, James, when you brought your army to Vale and locked up that twin, did you think you were being discreet, or did you just not give a damn!?"

Ironwood placed a scroll down and showed a hologram of the festival and his fleet.

"Discreet wasn't working. I'm here because this is what was necessary." Ironwood said, pointed at his fleet.

"You're here because Ozpin wanted you here! He made you a part of this inner circle and opened your eyes to the real fight that's in front of us!" I said.

"And I am grateful." Ironwood said.

"Oh, well, you've got a real funny way of showing it." I said.

"The people of Vale needed someone to protect them; someone who would act. When they look to the sky and see my fleet, they feel safe, and our enemies will feel our strength." Ironwood said.

"You... You think they're scared of your little ships? I've been out there and I've seen the things she's made, and let me tell you - they are fear." I chuckled.

"And fear will bring the Grimm. A guardian is a symbol of comfort. But an army is a symbol of conflict. There's an energy in the air now, a question in the back of everyone's minds... 'If this is the size of our defenses, then what is it we're expecting to fight?'"

"So then, what would you suggest we do?" He said as he grabbed his scroll.

"I suggest we find our guardian." Ozpin said.

 **Pov change: Mercury**

"It was him." I said.

"And you're sure?" Cinder asked.

"Bad hair, used a scythe, and smelled like my dad after a long day. It was him. And as a bonus, I saw the twins." I said.

"And?" Cinder asked.

"He's not showing any symptoms." I said.

"What do we do?" Emerald asked.

"Nothing. We stay the course. They have no idea who we are, so we have no reason to worry. Besides, the last of the heavy lifting is being taken care of thanks to our clever little friend. Speaking of which... it appears we have a new access point." Cinder said as she stared at her scroll.

"Anywhere good?" Emerald asked.

"You could say that. Go to your rooms. I'll prepare everything for tomorrow." Cinder said.

"Yes, ma'am." Emerald said.

"Got it." I said.

"Let's give the crowd a good fight." I heard Cinder say.

Cinder scrolled down each pair until she selected myself and Emerald to face off against Coco Adel and Yatsuhashi Daichi in the doubles round.

The next morning

The crowd saw the rigged match-up on the screen at the Amity Colosseum.

'The randomization process is complete! Ladies and gentlemen, your doubles tournament fight!' The fatass teacher said as we begun our fight.


	29. Chapter 29

**Pov: Satoshi**

I was in the same room as Weiss' older sister when we heard the radio.

'Emerald and Mercury of Haven, versus Coco and Yatsuhashi of Beacon!'

"Why can't I go see them?" I asked.

"Because General Ironwood ordered me to keep you on lockdown until told otherwise. You are a possible threat to other people." Winter said.

I sighed and looked back at the radio. I felt a sting on my arm and saw the black lines moving throughout my veins.

We heard a knock on my door and Winter opened it to show Yang.

"Who are you?" Yang asked.

"His bodyguard, identify yourself." She said.

"Yang Xiao Long." She said. "I'm his girlfriend."

"Very well, I have an appointment with someone." Winter said as she stepped outside.

Yang walked in and hugged me.

"Yo, what's up with Weiss' adult clone?" Yang asked.

"That's her sister." I said.

"Jeez and if she's as cold as Weiss was when we met her, then I do not envy you." Yang said as she stroked my cheek. "I will only miss you."

I kissed her hand when she noticed my arm.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"I'm stuck in this room until sundown and I have an hour to do whatever I want, guarded by both military and my team. I'd say with a few drinks, I would feel above slightly okay." I said.

We chuckled at that as we sat on the bed.

"I'm sorry that this happened to you." She said.

"I'm sorry that you have to deal with me." I said.

"Oh please, I'd give anything for you." Yang said as she kissed my cheek.

'Oh, and with that final blow, Yatsuhashi is eliminated!'

"Whoa what's happening?" Yang turned up the radio.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

"What!?" Velvet asked as she and Fox were next to Ruby and I.

I placed my hand on Velvet's shoulder as she was fearing her partner's health

We couldn't even see what happened. There was a blur and then Coco was down.

'And with an amazing upset, Emerald and Mercury are victorious!' Oobleck said.

"Coco?" Velvet asked.

'Let's go see her.' I said.

Velvet nodded and we all walked down to the locker room to see Coco and Yatsuhashi were still recovering from their wounds.

"Coco." Velvet said as she hugged Coco.

"Hey there. Sorry I embarrassed the team." Coco said.

"You didn't embarrass the team, you did your best and that's all you can do." Velvet said.

"Give us a little privacy everyone." Coco said.

We all walked away from the two and began to head back to the room.

 **Pov change: Weiss**

"You're... leaving?" I asked.

"Yes. I was merely needed to oversee the transport of additional units to Vale and to extract someone. Our last shipment was lost to an ambush. I believe you had a run-in with its cargo, actually. It's fortunate those Paladins were in the prototype stage; otherwise your team may not have fared so well. Weiss, you've done... well, out here, on your own. You should be proud. I'll be honest, it was quite amusing seeing Father's face the day you left for Beacon!"

"I can't wait to show him what I learned!"

"Oh? Then what do you think you've learned?" Winter asked.

"What do you mean? I'm getting better and better with my glyphs! I've even started Time Dilation!" I said.

"And what of your Summoning?" Winter asked.

"I... You know I can't." I said.

"Don't be ridiculous. Every Schnee has the ability to summon. We have for generations." Winter said.

"I've tried! It's just... it's the one thing I've been having trouble with!"

"We Schnees are unique. Unlike many, our Semblance is hereditary. But that doesn't mean it will come easily." She lifted her hand to show a glyph on her hand, "Your Semblance is like a muscle. The more you practice with it, the stronger it will become. But if you only focus on one aspect of it..." her glyph expanded and a giant bright light flashed before me and I saw a glowing white beowolf behind her. "If you fail to test the limits of what you think is possible, then you'll never truly grow."

I smiled at this display of my potential.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

"You'll never beat me, old man!" Ruby yelled as she fought Qrow.

"You're nothing but talk, kid!" Qrow said.

"You can do it, Ruby!" Yang yelled.

"Show him who's boss!" Satoshi yelled.

'SOARING NINJA WINS! TOTAL ANNIHILATION!' The tv said.

Qrow grinned at his victory as Ruby lowered her head in shame. I scooted over and placed my hand on her shoulder.

"Ouch." Yang said.

"And by the way, don't ever call me old." Qrow said.

Yang pushed Ruby out of the way and grabbed the controller.

"My turn!"

"Now, where was I?" Qrow asked.

"You were telling us about your last mission!" Ruby said.

"Right, right... I'd come across a small village in the swamps west of Mistral. Right off the bat, I knew something wasn't right." Qrow said.

"What were you doing there?" Ruby asked.

"I needed information. Tired from battling Grimm along the way, I decided to start my search at the town's inn. The place was crawling with lowlifes and thugs, even a few Huntsmen that I could only assume had been hired by less-than reputable people for less-than respectable jobs. And that's when it happened."

"What happened?" Yang and Satoshi asked.

"I was defeated... by the mere sight... of the innkeeper's skirt length!" Qrow said.

"HAHAHA!" Satoshi laughed as he fell off the bed.

I started blushing.

'SOARING NINJA WINS! TOTAL ANNIHILATION!' The tv said again.

"You are the worst!" Yang said.

"Best two out of three?" Qrow asked.

"So, Uncle Qrow, did you get in trouble with Ozpin?" Ruby and I sat on Weiss' bed.

"Nah, me and Oz go way back. We're cool." Qrow said.

"Cool for an old guy." Yang said.

"Not funny." Qrow said.

"So, what are you doing here anyway? I thought Dad said that you would be on a mission, for like... ever." Ruby said.

'READY? FIGHT!'

"Well, a professional Huntsman like myself is expected to get results, as soon as possible." Qrow said.

"Yeeeeaaaah, I get that. Hehe We're pretty much pros, too." Ruby said.

"Oh, really?" Qrow asked.

"Psh, yeah! Read the news sometime. We totally saved Vale while you were gone.

"Funny, because I heard Vale suffered a Grimm attack after you almost managed to stop a train and reports of a giant beowolf attacking other Grimm."

'SOARING NINJA WINS! TOTAL ANNIHILATION!'

"But they don't give out medals for almost." Qrow said.

"They do, and it's called silver!" Ruby said.

"Well, we helped take down Roman Torchwick! He's locked up in Ironwood's ship and crime's been down ever since! That's basically a bounty mission!" Yang said.

"Sure, you may be acting like Huntresses, but you're not thinking like one. You really think four girls and their friends could end all crime in a Kingdom?" Qrow asked.

"I mean, I did until you said that..." Ruby tapped her fingers together.

"Violence hasn't dropped since Roman got nabbed; it's stopped, completely. No White Fang activity around the city. You cut off the head of the King Taijitu, but now the second head 's calling the shots. That's what Ironwood can't get through that thick metal head of his." Qrow said.

"You... know the General?" Yang asked.

"Hey, I know everybody to some extent. Remember, you're talking to a member of the coolest team that graduated Beacon!" He pulled out a photo that showed him and three other members. Ruby and Yang seemed to know some of them. "Hah, Team STRQ... That's where I met your parents. We were pretty well known back in the day."

"Well known for crummy fashion sense!" Ruby said.

"Hey, we looked good! And I have a number of inappropriate stories to back that up! But, I'll save those for when you're older." He said as he put the photo away.

"Oh, gross!" Ruby buried herself in my shoulder.

"Anyways, I'm too old to be hanging out with a bunch of kids. You're gonna cramp my style." He said as he stopped at the doorway. "Look, just remember that you've still got a long way to go... And don't think for a second that graduating means you're done. Every day out there is worth a week in this place. You two, you're gonna go far. But only if you keep learning; if you never stop moving forward."

With those immortal words of wisdom, Qrow looked at Satoshi before her exited down the hall.

 **Pov change: Weiss**

I formed a glyph with symbols shaping.

"Excellent form! Now think to your fallen foes! The ones who forced you to push past where you were, and become who you are now. Think of them, and watch as they come to your side." Winter said.

The glyph disappeared.

"I can't!" I said.

"Stop doubting yourself!" Winter slapped my head.

"I'm trying!" I turned to face Winter.

"If this is what you call trying, then you have no hope of winning the tournament, let alone succeeding as a Huntress! Why don't you just move back home? I'm sure Father would give you a nice job as a receptionist!" Winter said.

"I don't need his charity!" I said.

"But you do need his money, don't you?" Winter asked.

"What!? How did you know about that!?" I asked.

"Lucky guess. I may have been in a similar situation when I joined the military. So what have you done this time?" Winter asked.

"Well, that's the thing: I'm really not sure! I went to pay for lunch the other day, but the card didn't work!" I said.

"How embarrassing." Winter said.

"I know! Well, it was! Why would he cut me off like that?" I said.

"Perhaps so that you'd stop avoiding him and call home." Winter said.

I turned to cast another glyph. However, this time, Winter placed her hand on my shoulder.

"Emotions can grant you strength. But you must never let them overpower you. It sounds to me like you have two choices in front of you. You can either call him, beg for his money back, and explain once more why you would want to study at Beacon over Atlas, or you could continue to explore Remnant, discovering more about the world and honestly, more about yourself… It's time for me to go."

"It was really good to see you, Winter." I said.

"Until next time, sister." Winter said.

As we walked, I had to ask.

"Winter? Who were you coming to get?" I asked.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

Yang and I were walking back to my room when we saw two guards approach us.

"Satoshi Suni, please come with us." They said.

"I'm taking him back to his dorm room, it was my-"

"He's not going back to his room." One of the guards said.

"Well where are you taking him?" Yang asked.

"Classified." The guard said.

"Listen here, you-"

"Yang." I said.

Yang looked at me as I shook my head.

"But-"

"I'll be fine, just let Ryuki know." I said.

"Let's go." The guard said as he grabbed my arm.

I walked away with the guards as I looked at Yang as she had tears in her eyes as I was being forced away.

 **Later**

I walked onto the Bullhead to see Weiss' sister.

"Satoshi Suni, you are to be taken to one of the military's frigates where you will be confined in a hidden cell until the end of the festival. We have reason to believe that you are going to be used to attack the school and you must understand why we cannot let that happen." Winter said.

I looked down as the aircraft began to move.

 **Pov change: Weiss**

Later at night, I stood in the school courtyard, waving goodbye at the airship carrying my sister. I stopped as my Scroll started vibrating with an incoming call from "FATHER." My finger hovered over the screen in uncertainty until I closed my eyes and forced myself to press 'decline.' Suddenly, I started smiling at the sight of the setting of a new path in life, I put it away and walked back inside.

When I walked in, I saw everyone except Satoshi was in our room. Blake was looking out the window, Ryuki and Yang were both angry and crying, Ruby was comforting Ryuki, Tatsumi was pissed and Sydney was punching the wall.

"What's wrong?" I asked.


	30. Chapter 30: author's note

**Hello there everyone, Spartan5271 here. I have been making A Monster In Us for a while now, and it has a lot of likes and views and follows, but I seemed to notice that only one person reviews each chapter. I was wondering if you could all tell me how this story is so far so that I can see what you all think I can improve on. Please leave a review. It would be really helpful. Thanks and cheers.**

 **Spartan5271**


	31. Chapter 31

**Pov: Ryuki**

I sat on my bed, listening to the radio. Ruby went to go watch cause Penny was fighting, but… I just couldn't. We agreed that today, I needed to be alone. Tatsumi was looking outside the window at the sky. Sydney was reading a book.

"It's bullshit." Tatsumi said.

"Agreed, but what are we gonna do? Fight the fleet and Ironwood?" Sydney asked.

She was right. What can we do?

'And victory goes to Penny and Ciel of Atlas!' Oobleck said over the radio.

 **Pov change: Ruby**

Watching from the stands, I saw Penny and her teammate start to walk away. I excitedly got up from my seat with most of my team to meet them at one of the exits. Yang was… still pretty upset about yesterday.

"Penny!" I said as I was about to hug Penny.

"Ruby!" Penny hugged me and practically crushed me.

"Why..." I groaned.

We got up and patted ourselves down.

"Ruby, this is my teammate." Penny said.

"Ciel Soleil." Ciel said.

"Hi! I'm Ru-"

"Ruby Rose. 15. Hails from Patch. Leader of Team RWBY. In a relationship with Ryuki Suni. Status: Questionable." She said.

"Sooo... Penny! You two were incredible out there. How do you keep control of all those swords? It's so cool!"

"Penny? I believe it is best if we move on to our next location." Ciel said, looking at her watch.

"Could we have just a minute to talk?" Penny asked Ciel.

In response, Ciel checked the time, then took a step back and nodded, starting the countdown.

"So is she... your friend or..." I asked.

"Well, in a way. She's like Blake, but if Blake was ordered to spend time with you." Penny said.

"Oh. So, Weiss." I said.

"Precisely." Penny said.

"Does she know about... y'know... beep boop bop, does not compute?" I did my best robot impersonation.

"Oh no. General Ironwood doesn't really want anyone to know. There was an incident with a magnet, but I was able to play it off."

She told me the story of her wearing a sun hat and we began laughing at that.

"Ruby, there's something I've been wanting to talk to you about." She looked at Ciel before looking back at me. "I want to stay at Beacon."

"Penny, they'll never let you do that." I said.

"I know, but I have a plan." Penny said.

"It's been precisely one minute, ma'am." Ciel said.

"I'll talk to you more soon, Ruby." Penny said as they began to leave. Penny quickly turned to wave goodbye.

'Our next match will begin in 15 minutes!' Port said.

"Oh my gosh, that's right! It's time for-" I said.

 **Pov change: Yang**

"Well, now it's our turn!" I said as I wiped my eyes.

"Just remember to keep proper form." Weiss said.

Pov change: Satoshi

I walked down the corridor of the frigate and saw my "room." It had a window looking down at the stadium, a tv, bathroom, and a bed.

"I asked that this room be made to one that you may find tolerable." Winter said. "Your scroll."

"Thanks." I said as I grabbed it and walked in. When I heard the door shut, I sighed. "But it's still the same, no matter how much it's changed. It's still a cell hundreds of feet in the sky." I said.

"It is only until the end of the festival and then you may go back to Beacon." Winter said.

"Heh the more I hear that, the more I don't believe that." I said as I sat down.

Winter stared at me before walking away.

I grabbed the remote and turned on the tv.

'Three! Two! One! Begin!' Port said.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

'What's this?' We heard Port ask.

'It appears young Flynt has just activated his Semblance! And quite a remarkable one at that. Ladies and gentlemen, feast your eyes on Flynt Coal's Killer Quartet!' Oobleck said.

I stood up and walked out of my room.

"Ryuki-"

"Let her release some anger." I heard Sydney say.

 **Later**

I saw the elevator door open to show Goodwitch and Ozpin at his desk.

"Ah ms. Suni, how can I he-"

I used my semblance to fling his coffee cup off his desk and hit the wall.

"Ms. Suni!" Goodwitch said, shocked.

Ozpin raised his hand for her to stop.

I walked up and slammed my hand on the table and looked at him in the eyes.

"Ms. Goodwitch, would you please give us a few minutes. Oh and would you please take care of my cup?"

Goodwitch seemed reluctant but nodded and lifted the pieces of the cup up and walked away.

"What is the matter ms. Suni?" He asked.

I grabbed a pad of paper and wrote large letters.

'WHY DID HE GET TAKEN'

"I am afraid I do not know what you are talking about."

I pointed at my eye and then at the paper again.

"Satoshi was taken? By who?" He asked.

I walked over to the window and pointed at the fleet.

"Ugh Ironwood… I apologize my dear, I shall talk with him as soon as I can."

I sighed and nodded.

"I understand that must be hard for you, but understand that teh General is working out of the best interests of the people." He said.

I nodded again.

"Now, why don't you go back to your teammates and friends and I will have a chat with the general. Hm?" He asked.

I nodded and walked towards the door.

"No matter what may happen, ms. Suni, know that there is always a light in every dark place." He said.

With that, I left the room.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

'It appears we have a double knockout on our hands!'

'In fact, it looks as though Miss Schnee's Aura has been completely depleted! She sacrificed herself to take out Flynt! Wait a minute. What's this!?'

'Ladies and gentlemen, Flynt Coal remains standing!'

I watched the match and looked at my arms. The black veins were moving up my arm. I got up and walked up to the glass and saw my reflection. I reached up and took off my eyepatch to see my eye had black lines all around it. Suddenly, everything felt cold and the sky became red and I heard a voice in my head.

"Hello Satoshi." She said.

I looked behind myself and saw nothing.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"I am the one who is making you what you truly are. I am freeing you and making you fulfill your destiny." The voice said.

"Stop it!" I held my head.

"It is already too late. Just let yourself be freed from flesh and join the dark."

"NO!" I yelled.

I saw images of Beacon in flames and on fire. I saw my teammates wounded and I saw Ryuki aiming a bow at me with tears in her eyes.

"STOP IT!" I yelled.

Suddenly, the sky was normal and the tv going on.

I looked at my arms and saw that the black lines were gone.

'Team RWBY wins.' I heard the tv say.

 **Pov change: Yang**

Weiss and I smile at the good losers and see the rest of our team coming to Weiss' side after she got injured.

"Good job, you two!" Blake said.

"Yeah!" Ruby cheered.

We saw Ryuki as she walked out onto the field.

"Ryuki!" Ruby said as she ran over to her.

I got up and walked over to her.

"Yang, she said Ozpin is gonna talk to Ironwood about Satoshi." Ruby said.

Almost instantly, Ryuki's scroll went off and and she opened it and I saw Satoshi.

'Hey guys.' He said.

"Satoshi?!" I asked.

'Hey Dragon. Nice fight, I had the best view.' He said.

"Where?" Ruby asked.

'Look up.' He said.

We looked up to see the military frigate.

"Oh…" I said.

'Hey, I got to see you kick some ass. That's all I needed to see to make me smile.' He said.

"Were you staring at me kicking ass or my ass?" I smirked.

"Aw gross Yang!" Ruby said.

Ryuki just groaned.

'I don't wanna say yes but I don't wanna say no.' Satoshi said.

"How is it there?" I looked at the frigate.

'No guards, but I'm locked in this suite styled cell. Winter said that this will all be over after the festival, so here's hoping for the festival to be done soon.' Satoshi said.

"I'm sorry." I said.

'Hey did you lock me up? No, so it's not your fault.' Satoshi said.

'I miss you.' Ryuki said.

'I miss you two. How're Tatsumi and Sydney?' Satoshi asked.

"Okay. Tatsumi is upset about you being taken and Sydney is… well Sydney." I said.

'Had a feeling.' Satoshi said. 'Well, I gotta go. I'm sure you guys are pretty tired.'

"We better talk later." I said.

'I promise.' Satoshi said.

Satoshi hung up and we were left with our celebration.

 **Pov change: Cinder**

I was looking at my device when I saw two interesting things. One of them was a blueprint titled P.E.N.N.Y and the other was security footage of all the frigates, including one that showed our dear little Grimm boy.

"Oh." I smiled.

"What?"

"Oh nothing. We're just going to be making some slight, hmm... alternations in the plan." Cinder said.

"What does that mean?" Mercury asked.

"It means that this will be even easier than we thought." I said as I looked at a third image that said 'rage agent armed.'

 **Pov change: Ozpin**

"You know, he's making you look like a fool." Qrow said.

"His heart is in the right place. He's just... misguided." I said.

"Sometimes, I'm not even sure he has a heart. I mean shit, taking a kid from the grounds to lock him in some flying cell; So, have you chosen your guardian yet?" Qrow drank from her flask.

I turned to face Qrow.

"Maidens choose themselves. I simply believe I've found the right candidate. Ever since the day I met her, I had the feeling she would be the one. She's strong, intelligent, caring... but most importantly, she's ready."

I turned to look at the mirror.

"I just hope the transmission can be made before it's too late for Satoshi."

"She's got her claws on him, Oz. It's only a matter of time before she sinks beneath the skin." Qrow said.

"The transmission must happen as soon as possible then." I said as I sipped my coffee.


	32. Chapter 32

**Pov: Ryuki**

I was in my room with Tatsumi and Sydney. We were so bored…

"I wanna do something." Tatsumi said.

"Like what?" Sydney said.

"Anything! Anything to get our minds cleared." Tatsumi said. "A dance club, a bar, stealing shit. Anything!"

"That sounds like socializing and I do not want to do that." Sydney said.

As if by coincidence, my scroll went off and I saw Ruby on the screen.

'Hi Ryuki!' She smiled.

I waved at her.

'I-I was wondering… w-would you like to go to a club today to hang out?' She asked.

I looked at the others.

"Hell yeah!" Tatsumi said.

"I could or I could stay and read and not be with other people." Sydney said.

I walked over to Satoshi's drawer and pulled a out a piece of paper.

'USE IN CASE OF EMERGENCY'

SYDNEY TAG ALONG TICKETS

"I hate that you guys made that." Sydney said.

I walked over and handed it to her. She took it and signed her name and handed it back to me. This was something Satoshi was going to use so Sydney was forced to interact with other humans and Faunus. We were only allowed to use it ten times a month.

'Okay, I'll see you there.' Ruby said as she hung up.

"We promise to give you guys some space. You've deserved this more than us." Tatsumi said.

I smiled and nodded my head.

 **Later**

We walked into the club where people were watching the fights and I saw Ruby was waiting.

I walked over and tapped her on the shoulder. As she turned, I stayed behind her.

"Huh?" She asked.

She turned back to look at me right in front of her.

"AHH!" She jumped.

I laughed as I caught her.

"I hate when you do that." Ruby said.

I kissed her on the cheek and she smiled.

"I like when you do that though." Ruby said.

 **Pov change: Tatsumi**

We watched as Ruby and Ryuki went over to the dance floor to have a bit of time to themselves as we sat down.

"I hate this." Sydney said.

"I know you do." I said. "But you look sexy in that."

Sydney was wearing a cute purple dress.

"Oh my god. Sydney?" We heard.

Sydney turned invisible immediately as three girls walked up.

"We can still see you Sydney." They said as they looked at Sydney's visible clothing.

Sydney re-appeared.

"What do you want Rachel?" She asked.

"Ouch. Is that how you treat an old friend after you ran away?" Rachel asked.

"We're not friends after what you all did." Sydney said.

"Oh and who's this? Some new 'friend' of yours?" Rachel asked.

"Actually I'm her boyfriend." I said as I got in front of Sydney.

"Ooh even better, has she started giving you answers to the hard tests yet? Trying giving her some dog treats and she will probably give in immediately." Rachel said.

"I think you should go." I said.

"Excuse me?" Rachel asked.

"I don't know who you think you are, but Sydney is a smart, cute, and talented girl and if you're going to make offensive remarks about her and use her smarts to further your own interests, then you ar egging to be one sad lonely hag." I said.

"Tsk whatever, come on girls." Rachel said as her and her posse left.

I sat back down and looked at Sydney.

"Hey sorry about th-"

"Did you mean it?" Sydney asked.

"Well yeah." I said.

Sydney got up and looked at me.

"Wanna… go dance?" She asked.

I smiled as I took her hand and we walked onto the floor and started dancing.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

"Ryuki. I am really glad that we could do this." Ruby said.

I nodded.

"Ryuki, I know that things have been really bad, but I think that it will get better." Ruby smiled.

She leaned in and placed her head on my chest.

I placed my head on top of hers and we stood there for a while, listening to the music play.

 **Pov change: Tatsumi**

We were dancing a bit away from Ruby and Ryuki when Sydney spoke.

"Hey… were you serious when you said you were my boyfriend? Or just saying that to make them go away?" Sydney asked.

"Can I say both?" I asked.

I saw Sydney disappear but her clothes lifted up and I felt a peck on my cheek.

"Say anything, and I will stab you with your own sword." She whispered.

I smiled as we continued dancing.

 **Later**

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

We walked across the seats and sat down to watch the fight.

'Now, for the moment you've all been waiting for! The one-on-one finals!' Port said.

In the center of the battlefield's stage, Yang smirked confidently as she stretched alongside a bunch of other people.

'Barty, why don't you explain the rules?' Port asked.

'Ah, it's quite simple, Peter. Instead of a bracket system, each round of the finals will be randomly determined immediately before the match takes place!' Oobleck said.

'Much like any good hunt, there will be zero time to prepare!' Port said.

'Ah, yes, yes! Now, let's see who our first match will be!' Oobleck said.

The chart began to move. As soon as it stopped, Port read the names.

'Yang Xiao Long and Mercury Black!' Port said.

"Break a leg, sis!" Ruby yelled.

'Would all other combatants please leave the stage!' Port said.

Yang and Mercury stood on the field alone.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

I sat on my bed and watched the fight.

'Three! Two! One! Begin!' Port said.

The fight took place and all I could see was how pretty Yang was when she kicks ass. Sure the guy landed some blows, but she was winning. Finally, she managed to get his aura all the way down.

'What a way to kick off the finals!' Port said.

'Yang Xiao Long wins!' Oobleck said.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

"Yeah! You did it, sis!" Ryuki cheered.

Weiss gave a fist pump.

"Way to go, Yang!" Blake gave her a standing ovation.

I gave a thumbs up as Yang began to walk towards Mercury.

When out of the blue, Yang seemed to be taunting Mercury before.

*BAM*

'My word!' Oobleck said.

'Cut the cameras!' Port said.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

I watched what just happened before the cameras stopped and I just couldn't believe it.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

"My leg, MY LEG!" Mercury yelled.

"That's what you get you little- Huh?" Yang looked around her.

Some Atlesian knights and soldiers ran out and aimed their guns at Yang.

"Yang Xiao Long, stand down!" The soldier yelled.

"What!? Why!?" Yang asked.

We watched as Emerald ran out to comfort Mercury.

We all watched as the screen showed Yang taunt Mercury and then shoot his leg. The soldiers began to move Yang as I looked at Ruby and she looked at me.

What just happened?


	33. Chapter 33

**Pov: Ryuki**

We were inside team RWBY's dorm with the general.

"I'm sorry, but you've left us with no choice." Ironwood said.

"But he attacked me!" Yang said.

"Video footage and millions of viewers say otherwise." Ironwood said.

"But Yang would never do that!" Weiss said.

"Yeah!" Ruby said.

"You all seem like good students, and the staff here at Beacon are fully aware that you would never lash out the way you did... under normal circumstances. What I believe and hope this to be is nothing more than the result of stress and adrenaline. When you're out on the battlefield, your judgment can become clouded in an instant. Sometimes you see things that simply aren't there. Even after the fight is past..."

"But I wasn't-"

"That's ENOUGH! The sad truth is, whether it was an accident or an assault, it doesn't matter. The world saw you attack an innocent student. They've already drawn their own conclusions. And it doesn't help you that you're significant other is currently locked away. I have a to keep the people safe, and it's my job to inform you that... you are disqualified."

We all just sat there as Ironwood left.

"You guys believe me, right?" Yang asked.

"Duh!" Ruby said.

"You're hotheaded, but not ruthless." Weiss said.

I nodded my head.

We all looked at Blake, who hasn't spoken yet.

"Blake?" Yang asked.

"I… want to believe you..."

"Huh!?" Ruby asked.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Weiss asked.

"Blake?" Yang asked as I saw tears form.

'Blake what the hell?'

"How can you say something like that? Yang would never lie to us!" Weiss said.

"…I had someone very dear to me change. It wasn't in an instant, it was gradual - little choices that began to pile up. He told me not to worry. At first they were accidents, then it was self-defense. Before long, even I began to think he was right… This is all just... very familiar. But you're not him. And you've never done anything like this before. So... I want to trust you. I will trust you. But first, I need you to look me in the eyes and tell me that he attacked you. I need you to promise me that you regret having to do what you did."

"I saw him attack me, so I attacked back." Yang wiped her eyes.

"Okay. Thank you."

"I think I'm gonna rest up." Yang said.

"We'll get out of your hair." Blake said as we all left.

 **Pov change: Yang**

I laid down and pulled out my scroll and called a certain someone.

'Hey Yang.' Satoshi said.

"Hey… I'm assuming you saw?" I asked.

'Yeah.'

"Well?" I asked. "Do you think I did it?"

'The only thing you managed to do is beat that guy's ass. I don't think you did it because that's not you.' Satoshi said.

"Thanks." I smiled. "How are you doing?"

'Oh you know, they let me go from point A to point B on the ship. So from one wall to the other.' Satoshi said.

I chuckled.

"Luckily the fight is almost over." I said.

'Hey, after the championship, do you wanna go out to that club in downtown?'

"The one with the DDR tournament?" I asked.

'You got it.' Satoshi said.

"Sure." I said.

'Alright we got a date. And hey. This will all be over soon okay?' He asked.

"Okay." I said.

'I'll be seeing you soon.' He said.

"I love you." I said.

'I love you too.' He said as he hung up.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

"This is a mess..." Weiss said.

"She doing okay?" Jaune asked as he poked his head out.

"She's doing the best she can." Blake said.

"I heard Mercury and his team rushed back to Haven to be with his family. So, until they land, no one can really question him about what happened." Ruby said.

"If there's anything we can do, please don't hesitate to ask." Ren said.

"All right then. If that's the case... Pyrrha?" Ruby asked.

"Hm?" Pyrrha looked at us.

"You be sure to win one for Beacon, okay?" Ruby grinned.

"It's what Yang would want." Weiss said.

"I'll... do my best." Pyrrha said. She seemed sad about something.

"I'll be sure to watch tonight in case you're picked!" Ruby said. "Along with Ryuki."

"Sorry but, I think I've had enough fighting for one year." Blake said.

"Ditto…coffee?" Weiss asked.

"Tea." Blake smiled.

We all began to walk down the hall as we left team JNPR to their business.

 **Pov change: Yang**

I was still in the dorm sitting on Blake's bed, looking out the window at the members of JNPR walking in the courtyard outside, Nora marching alongside Ren with Jaune and Pyrrha in the back, all of them looking happy to be with each other.

"Hey there, firecracker." I heard behind me.

"Hey, Qrow." I said.

"So, why'd you do it?" Qrow asked.

"You know why." I said.

"All I know is that you attacked a helpless kid. So either you're lying or you're crazy." Qrow said.

"I'm not lying." I said, looking at him.

"Crazy, got it." Qrow said.

"Who knows? Maybe I am." I said.

"And here I thought your dark-haired friend and boyfriend were the emo ones." Qrow said.

"I saw my mom. I-I was in a lot of trouble. Took a pretty hard hit. But when I came to, the person attacking me was gone. And I thought I saw... her. Her sword, like the one in your's and dad's old picture." I said.

"You're not crazy, Yang. That was your mom, all right. Let me guess - she didn't say a word, did she?" Qrow asked as he walked towards us.

"How did you know that?" I asked.

"I don't see my sister very often, but she does try to keep in touch... whenever it suits her."

"Wait. You mean you talk to her? That was real?" I asked.

"Yeah, she found me. Had a tip from my most recent assignment and wanted me to give you a message." He said.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner!?"

"I was tryin' to wait for the right time, and this sure ain't it. But I guess you deserve to know. She wanted me to tell you that she saved you once, but you shouldn't expect that kindness again. Raven's got an interesting way of looking at the world that I don't particularly agree with. And she's dangerous. But you're a tough egg, kiddo. Shouldn't let this tournament thing get'cha down. You had a slip-up, sometimes bad things just happen. I say it's time you move on."

"Move on to what?" I asked.

"Well... Raven let some info slip before she took off. If you ever wanna track her down, I think I might be able to help. Might be a good activity for you and that kid up there." He pointed at the frigate.

"I miss him." I said.

"It is quite obvious." Qrow said.

"Why did it have to happen to him?" I asked.

"Some things can't be foretold. I'm sure he and his sister never thought they'd be here." He said.

"But he's being locked away like an animal." I said.

"I'll make sure he's freed before the fleet leaves." He said.

"Okay." I said. "Now tell me about my mother."

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

Ruby and I were walking around the stadium when we saw Velvet.

"Ruby, Ryuki, how are you doing?" Velvet asked.

"Hi, Velvet! What're you up to?" Ruby said.

"Oh, you know. Just working on my photography. Do you wanna see?" Velvet handed us the camera. However, we noticed that her photos of Sun… barely had any of Sun in it. The main thing I saw was his weapon.

"That's... better." Ruby said.

"I'm... sorry about your sister. Is she doing okay?" Velvet asked.

"Yeah, she's fine, heh. Thanks." Ruby looked at me.

"I think it's just awful what people are saying about her. Yang's such a nice person." Velvet said.

"Well, I'm glad someone thinks so." Ruby chuckled.

"Most people don't know what it's like on the battlefield. I mean, even experienced fighters can get scared and start seeing things. If it happened to Coco, it can happen to anyone." Velvet said.

"Coco?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah. She swore she saw Yatsu with her in the forest during the fight with Emerald and Mercury, but he never even made it out of the geyser fields. Stress-induced hallucinations, apparently." Velvet said.

"Yeah..." Ruby looked at me.

'Something is wrong.' I said.

Suddenly, there was a giant flash and we saw Velvet took a picture of my bow and Ruby's scythe.

"Oh! Sorry." Velvet said.

 **Later**

We took our seats and waited for the match to start. Ruby placed her head on my shoulder and sighed.

"I still don't understand what is going on." Ruby said.

I patted her on the head. However, she suddenly leaned forward and looked like she saw something.

"Emerald's... here?" Ruby asked.

I looked and sure enough, the green haired girl was there.

She looked at us and knew she was spotted and began to walk out of the stadium.

"Let's go." Ruby said.

We made it down to the inside of the stadium to try and find Emerald and as what was going on.

'All right, it's now time to begin the randomization process for our next fight!' Oobleck said.

We saw the door open and saw… Mercury walk out. Completely fine.

"Mercury?" Ruby asked.

'It looks like our first contender is... Penny Polendina from Atlas...'

"What are you doing?" Ruby asked.

'And her opponent will be... Pyrrha Nikos from Beacon!' Port said.

"No..." Ruby said as she realized.

"Ooh, polarity versus metal. That could be bad." Mercury said.

We glared at our new foe and tried to grab our weapons when we realized that we placed them in the lockers before we were allowed in. Mercury smirked as he got into a fighting stance.

"We have to hurry." Ruby said.

I nodded as we charged.


	34. Chapter 34

**Pov: Ozpin**

'Alright, it's now time to begin the randomization process for our next fight!' Oobleck said.

'It looks like our first contender is... Penny Polendina, from Atlas! And her opponent will be... Pyrrha Nikos, from Beacon!' Port said.

I seated myself behind my desk and took a sip from my mug as I watched the fight to be.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

"Mercury, what are you doing? You were hurt! Why... What's going on?" Ruby asked.

Mercury said nothing.

"Fine. If you're not going to tell us..." Ruby said.

We tried to move but he got in our path.

'Fighters, are you ready?' Oobleck asked.

Mercury smirks.

'3, 2, 1... BEGIN!' Oobleck said.

"Showtime." Mercury said.

"We have to hurry." Ruby said.

I nodded as we charged at him.

He moved forward, blocking Ruby's path. Ruby grimaced and spun forward, becoming a blur of red and petals rocketing towards Mercury, only for him to kick her mid-dash with his boots and knock her to the ground. He advanced on her just as Ruby grabbed her Scroll, about to push the button to call for help when a bullet shattered the device into several shards.

"Let's just keep this between us friends." Mercury said.

'My word! What a tremendous display by Miss Polendina!' Port said.

I ran up and tried to punch Mercury when he ducked and elbowed me in the chest before suddenly I heard a shot. I looked down to see my hi- was bleeding before a boot kicked me back into the wall.

"RYUKI!" Ruby yelled as she charged Mercury.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out an aura tube. I plunged it into my side and injected the substance and felt myself healing.

Ruby attempted to block a kick from Mercury with her arms, but got a face-full of boot. She managed to duck under his next attack and leap over his leg, spiraling past him, this time getting much farther down the corridor. She kicks off of the wall and falls to the ground, pumping her arms as she ran for the exit.

Mercury tried to go after her but I reached my hand up and used my semblance to hold him.

"Hhrg… you… little…"

I stood up and used both hands to focus on him.

"Why are you… even trying… its pointless now. Besides… you should be more focused on family than friends… being Grimm and all." Mercury said.

My eyes widened when he said that. I lowered my hands and ran in the other direction.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

I watched as Penny was suddenly cut to pieces by Pyrrha.

"What… What is happening…"

'No!' Port said.

 **Pov change: Ruby**

I turned the corner and emerged from the tunnel to see Penny's lifeless body.

"Penny..." I said as I began to cry.

I heard footsteps behind me but hone the doors shut I knew that it was him…

'Broadcast, what are you doing? Kill the feed!' Oobleck said over the intercom. 'What!? How is that possible!?'

Suddenly, the screens turned bright red with a black queen chess piece displaying across the stadium and I heard a voice.

'This is not a tragedy. This was not an accident. This is what happens when you hand over your trust, your safety, your children, to men who claim to be our guardians, but are, in reality, nothing more than men. Our Academies' Headmasters wield more power than most armies, and one was audacious enough to control both. They cling to this power in the name of peace, and yet, what do we have here? One nation's attempt at a synthetic army, mercilessly torn apart by another's star pupil. What need would Atlas have for a soldier disguised as an innocent little girl? I don't think the Grimm can tell the difference. And speaking of Grimm,' the screens cut to… a security camera of Satoshi!

 **Pov change: Ozpin**

I quickly grabbed my scroll and called the General when I saw the symbol on my scroll.

"Oh no." I said.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

I looked at the camera that was staring at me as I heard the tv.

'This boy has secretly been part Grimm under your noses along with his twin sister. But there's a little extra trait to him.'

 **Pov change: Cinder**

I pressed the button that said activate rage agent and watched it unfold.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

I suddenly felt pain throughout my entire body.

"AAAAAAAGH!" I screamed as I collapsed to the ground.

I smashed my hand on the ground and saw all the black lines were going down my arms again. I felt it climb up all over my chest and up my neck.

"GUARD!" I screamed.

Nothing.

I flipped onto my back and ripped open my shirt to see the black lines slowly became thicker and thicker.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

I put my hands on my mouth as I watched Satoshi begin to transform.

 **Pov change: Yang**

"No…" I said as I saw one of his hands shape into a claw and his body be engulfed by the black lines on his body. The last thing I saw of him was him stare at the camera for me to see two Grimm eyes.

The scarred beowolf stood up and roared so loudly I could hear it from the frigate as much as I heard the people screaming from the stadium.

 **Pov change: Blake**

"Satoshi…" I said as Weiss and I watched the screen.

 **Pov change: Cinder**

"And what, I ask you, is Ozpin teaching his students? First a dismemberment, now this? Huntsmen and Huntresses should carry themselves with honor and mercy, yet I have witnessed neither. I have witnessed lies and deception. Perhaps Ozpin felt as though defeating Atlas in the Tournament would help people forget his colossal failure to protect Vale when the Grimm invaded its streets. Maybe the Grimm twins were meant to be a trade off in case things get too bad. Or perhaps this was his message to the tyrannical dictator that has occupied an unsuspecting kingdom with armed forces. Honestly, I haven't the slightest clue as to who is right and who is wrong. But I know the existence of peace is fragile, and the leaders of our kingdoms conduct their business with iron gloves. As someone who hails from Mistral, I can assure you the situation there is... equally undesirable. Our Kingdoms are on the brink of war, yet we, the citizens, are left in the dark. So I ask you: When the first shots are fired... who do you think you can trust?"

 **Pov change: trooper**

"LETS GO!" The CO yelled as we ran to Suni's cell and saw the creature beat on the window. The CO opened the door and yelled, "OPEN FIRE!"

I saw that we were damaging it but it quickly swung its arm and knocked three of us back. It picked up one of the bodies and slammed them against the window, cracking it. I loaded my gun again but before I could fire, the beast threw the body at me and pinned me to the wall before leaping at the helpless souls that we were.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

I saw the carnage unfold before the screens cut from red and black to complete static. Suddenly, I heard a loud alert and looked at the colosseum. I saw on the ceiling, it said ALERT!

'Alert. Incoming Grimm attack. Threat level: Nine. Please seek shelter in a calm and orderly manner.' The announcer said.

I heard the screaming and knew that they needed help.

'Ladies and gentlemen, please. There is no need for panic.' I heard Ironwood said.

Almost immediately, I saw a Giant Nevermore atop the arena's domed force field, giving a series of deafening screeches as it clawed and pecked at the defense with its beak. I looked at the frigate and at the giant bird.

I'm sorry Satoshi.

I turned and ran back into the stadium to help.

 **Pov change: Tatsumi**

I looked at Sydney as we saw the Grimm attack.

"Get your scroll. We're gonna need every big gun we have." I said.

 **Pov change: Ozpin**

I watched the attack unfold.

"Oz!" I heard Qrow behind me.

"Get to the city!" I said.

"But-"

"NOW!" I yelled.

'Ozpin, the girl... I-I can explain!' Ironwood said over the scroll.

"You brought your army to my Kingdom, James. Use it." I said.

 **Pov change: captain**

"Dammit! This is Blue Four! Blues Two and Three, fall into defensive position!" I yelled.

'Roger! Blue Three, in position!'

"Blue Two, what's your status? Blue Two, come in! Someone answer me, dammit!" I screamed.

 **Pov change: Roman**

I saw the door open and saw my little bodyguard in an officer uniform.

'Well... it's about time..." I said. "Let's give the beast a bit more space."

 **Pov change: Yang**

I saw one of the military frigates fire on the others and cause them to crash.

 **Pov change: no one**

After the frigates crashed, the giant scarred beowolf climbed out and saw people before it roared loudly and leapt towards its newfound prey.


	35. Chapter 35

**Pov: Weiss**

We watched as all of the carnage began to unfold. The atlas military frigates fell from the sky and beowolves and other Grimm were running around, attacking and killing people.

"I don't believe this..." I said.

Blake pulled out her scroll and dialed a number.

"Yang, are you okay?" Blake asked.

'I'm fine. Are Ruby and Ryuki with you? Ruby is not answering her Scroll.'

"No, they aren't. Yang, I'm sure she's fine. She's our leader. She can take care of herself. And besides, she has Ryuki." Blake said.

'…Right.' Yang said.

"This can't be happening… Penny... Satoshi…" I said.

'I'm headed to the docks near the courtyard. The White Fang are releasing Grimm into the school!'

"The White Fang is here!?" Blake asked. We heard Grimm over the scroll and got worried. "Yang!"

'Ugh! Gotta go! Be careful! I'll look for Satoshi!' Yang said as she hung up.

"Blake, what are we going to do?" I asked.

"We're going to the docks, and we're doing our job." Blake said.

Blake used her Scroll to call upon her rocket locker, which landed behind her and opened up to reveal Gambol Shroud. I gave one last look at Blake before nodding in agreement.

 **Pov change: Tatsumi**

"HUNTSMEN AND SOLDIERS! TO ME!" I yelled as Sydney and I stood at the main entrance.

Only a single other huntsman from Atlas and a handful of Atlesian knights appeared.

"Form a line and take down any Grimm that try to enter." I said as I pulled out my sword.

We saw the horde coming and I smirked.

"Let's show these soulless bastards who's the boss!" I yelled as Sydney, the Atlesian Hunter, and I charged, the soldiers providing cover fire.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

I ran onto the center area and saw the Nevermore screech as it continued to weaken the force field that's keeping it from getting in.

'Warning: Safety Barriers Failing.'

As civilians ran past me in a panic, I saw Ruby kneeling on the ground with her head down, her expression in a mixture of shock and sadness. I ran up and slid next to Ruby.

"Penny…" she said.

I shook her to make her look at me.

"Ryuki…?" Ruby asked as she stared at me.

I nodded my head and hugged her.

"She's gone…" Ruby said.

I helped her up and stared at her before pointing at the nevermore.

"Y-You're right, we have to stop this first." Ruby said.

As the Nevermore flew up and circled around the colosseum, we saw Pyrrha struggle to stand as she looked in shock at the torn apart Penny.

"PYRRHA! Pyrrha, that thing's going to break in! You've gotta move!" Jaune yelled.

We looked up to see the force field flash as the Nevermore rises back up before diving back in. Wasting no time, Jaune jumped from the stands into the arena.

"Jaune!" Nora yelled.

I looked at Ruby and we both nodded.

 **Pov change: Jaune**

"Pyrrha, please snap out of it!" I yelled as I ran towards her.

Suddenly, the Nevermore completely broke through the holographic barrier, and the force of it landing on the arena floor knocked me back, knocked Pyrrha back, and knocked the pieces of Penny away. The Nevermore screeched and lunged towards Pyrrha. However, the Nevermore froze where it was before it was knocked back by a red, twirling blur of roses. Before I knew it, Ryuki and Ruby were in front of Pyrrha with two of Penny's swords.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

"Ruby? Ryuki?" Pyrrha asked.

"Leave her alone!" Ruby yelled at the bird. The bird screeched at us but we stood there, swords ready.

The Nevermore flew up and circled around the arena before lunging back down. Ruby and I held Penny's swords defensively as we waited for the strike. Suddenly, the Nevermore got pinned down by a barrage of rocket lockers, and screeches out in pain before being knocked out.

We saw the students from all the different schools have their weapons pulled out and were all set for a fight. The students were then suddenly shaken when the Nevermore started to get back up. Ren leapt up into the air and used the blades of his weapons to slash at the Nevermore. Arslan Altan used her rope dart to swing down and grabbed Yatsuhashi from the ground. Sage also leapt up into the air, and Nora ran up to the Nevermore's head and hit it with Magnhild. When Arslan reached her height limit, she let go of Yatsuhashi, who was joined by Sage, as the two broadsword wielders slashed down and decapitated the Nevermore, causing it to dissipate into black particles. When Arslan landed back on the ground next to her teammates, we looked over to Pyrrha.

"Ruby, I... I'm so sorry." Pyrrha said as she held a piece of cloth that belonged to Penny.

"Me too. But it wasn't your fault." Ruby said.

I nodded.

"She's right. Whoever was on that microphone... they're the ones that did this. And we have to make sure they don't take anyone else." Jaune said.

Jaune handed Pyrrha's weapons to her and exchanged determined looks. Suddenly, we suddenly heard screeches and saw different looking Grimm looking down at us from the top of the arena.

"Griffons." Ren said.

"Anybody got a plan of attack?" Neptune asked.

"Sun! I need your Scroll!" Ruby said.

Sun used his tail to flick his Scroll to Ruby, who caught and used it to summon two lockers, which opens up revealing Crescent Rose and my bow inside. I managed to grab mine but Ruby was stopped when a Griffon landed on her locker, and roared at her. Before it attacked, it was scared away at the sound of a gunshot.

"Students! I think it would be best for you to leave." We looked at saw Port and oobleck with their weapons.

"But we can h-"

"Miss Rose! This day will surely go down in Remnant's history. I'd prefer it if my students could live to tell about it." Oobleck said.

Ruby and I looked at each other and looked down as we realized that they wouldn't accept no.

Ruby nodded at the Doctor's words before grabbing Crescent Rose and twirling it into it's scythe form.

"Let's go!" Ruby said.

"And ms. Suni, take these." Port said.

He threw a bag to me and I caught it to look inside and see a bunch of vials of aura in it.

"They're redesigned to last a bit longer." Port said.

'Thank you.' I said.

As we all began to leave, Ruby got distracted when we saw the flash of Velvet's camera. She stopped to look at the photograph she took but was interrupted when her leader called out to her.

"Velvet!" Coco yelled.

We continued to run as we heard the fighting begin. We ran out of the stadium to see people still running towards evac ships. They were scared. They were crying. Suddenly, a white fang bullhead dropped off a bunch of beowolf near the civilians. Two Atlesian knights took dons one but were destroyed by a larger Beowolf. The Beowolf then noticed General Ironwood as the General started to run towards it, gradually picking up speed as he neared the charging Beowolf. He screamed a loud battle cry as he pulled out his revolver from his coat. Ironwood ducked and slid under the Beowolf's attack and shot at it a couple times. The Beowolf then charged at Ironwood again, who fired his revolver a few more times before having to duck under another swipe. The Beowolf attempted to swipe at him again with its left claw, but Ironwood effortlessly stopped it with his own right hand. The General then fired at the Beowolf's feet, the explosion caused it to go airborne, and still gripped it's claw, Ironwood proceeded to swing it back down to the ground with his own brute strength. Ironwood then picked up the Beowolf, aimed the revolver at its skull, and shot it, causing black blood to splatter from it. Ironwood then watched the body of the Beowolf dissipate before leaving.

"General! What's going on!?" Ruby asked.

"Grimm are crawling all over the city. The White Fang's invaded Beacon, and to make matters worse, some... vagabond has seized one of my ships. We have reports of a large scarred Grimm scouring throughout the school so Satoshi is within a certain sector. Until we regain command, the skies are out of our control. So I'm ...going to take it back."

I walked in front of him and showed him my eye.

"Ryuki, I promise that we will try and bring your brother back." He said.

I nodded and walked back to Ruby.

"What should we do?" Jaune asked.

"You have two choices. Defend your Kingdom and your school... or save yourselves. No one will fault you if you leave. Let's move out!" Ironwood said to some Atlesian knights.

As Ironwood left, we looked at each other and murmured before a certain monkey Faunus spoke up.

"I mean... come on!"

"We can take a ship to Beacon!" Jaune said.

As we boarded the ship, I held Ruby's arm.

"Ryuki?" Ruby asked.

'I need to find Satoshi when we land. I need to save him, you need to save Beacon.' I said.

"Ryuki…"

"Let's go!" Sun yelled.

We ran onto the ship and let it fly off.

 **Pov change: Roman**

"Hmm... let's see, what does... this button do? Oh, fun! How about ... this one… Hm. Alright, nothing." I said as I pressed buttons at random.

Neo, still wearing her Atlesian military disguise, handed me a Scroll with the Black Queen insignia, as I inserted it in the console.

"Oh-ho-ho! Now this one, this one's gonna be fun!" I said as I pressed the button.

 **Pov change: Tatsumi**

"Look out!" I yelled as I pushed Sydney out of the way and got knocked back by a Griffon. I saw that my aura was fading and grunted as I got up.

I looked at Sydney and she looked worried as she looked behind me.

I turned to see the soldiers aim at the Atlesian Hunter.

"NO!" I yelled as they shot at him.

He died in seconds since his aura was gone.

They aimed at us next as reloaded. I charged at them and sliced through two of them while Ryuki got the other two.

"We can't stay here!" Sydney said as more Grimm appeared. We turned around and ran as fast as we could.

I pulled out my scroll and spoke.

"This is Tatsumi from team STRS. The main entrance is overrun. I repeat the main entrance is overrun. The Atlesian knights have turned on us. They fired upon and killed a member from Atlas. Do not trust the knights. I repeat, DO NOT TRUST THE KNIGHTS!" I yelled the last part.

"Let's hope it reached them." Sydney said as we ran towards the center of the school.

 **Pov change: Blake**

'Do not trust the knights. I repeat, DO NOT TRUST THE KNIGHTS!' I heard Tatsumi yelled over the scrolls.

I looked and saw the knights turn and open fire.

"Look out!" I yelled at Weiss as we dodged the incoming fire.

Before I knew it, we were surrounded.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

'When we get back, I need to find Satoshi.' I told Ruby.

"I understand." Ruby said.

"Oh my god." We heard Velvet say.

We looked to see the General's drop ship burst into flames and began to descend rapidly. Ruby walked up and opened the door.

"Ruby! What are you doing!?" Sun asked.

"Ryuki! Find your brother! I love you." Ruby said as she dove out and ran back to the stadium.

I looked around to see everyone looking at me. I reached my hands up and pulled off my eyepatch.

'Gonna need two eyes for this.' I said as I shut the door.

 **Pov change: Ruby**

I ran back to the arena to see an empty locker. I punched in the code, latched on with Crescent Rose, and immediately took to the skies. Before I knew it, I landed on top of the airship with a thud.

"Time to see what's going on." I said.

 **Pov change: Sydney**

We ran towards where the fight was thick.

"Come on, if we hurry we ca-"

I saw as a giant beowolf swiped and broke through Tatsumi' s armor and clawed him deeply.

"NO!" I screamed as I jumped at the beast and tried to slice at it but it managed to dodge and hit me back.

I opened my eyes to see Tatsumi get up slowly but the beast was circling him. That's when I noticed the scars.

'Grimm can't have scars.' I remembered.

"Satoshi!" I yelled.

The beast stopped and stared at me.

"Sydney shut up!" Tatsumi yelled.

The beast moved towards me slowly before I said it again.

"Satoshi." I said.

The beast seemed to calm down before sudden gunfire hit it. I looked and saw an Atlesian soldier.

"Die dog!" He yelled.

Satoshi roared and leapt at his new enemy.

"Come on… he's gone…" Tatsumi said as we ran from our former leader.

 **Pov change: Weiss**

Blake and I managed to take down a few knights and Grimm at the same time. I used my rapier and glyphs to take down some knights while Blake used her semblance to trick some white fang members who appeared and attacked. We looked ahead and saw that an infected paladin was attacking some soldiers.

"Come on!" I said.

As we went to go help, we saw a bulkhead crash and Grimm running out of it. Blake and I exchanged one last look before we nodded to each other.

"Be safe." I said.

As she went towards the Grimm, I saw Tatsumi and Sydney appear wounded as she helped him over.

"What happened?" I asked.

"We were overrun… and then ran into Satoshi." Sydney said.

"What?" I asked.

"We have to warn Ryuki. He's gone." Tatsumi said.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

I jumped off the air bus as we landed and ran into the school to look for Satoshi.

 **Pov change: Blake**

As I ran after the beowolf, I saw it climb up the building. However, before I could run after it, I heard fighting inside the building. When I looked, I was horrified to see… him.

"No... Adam?" I asked.

"Hello, my darling." Adam said.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

I ran through the corridors of the school when I heard screaming coming from the lunch area. I ran in to see the giant scarred beowolf. I picked up an apple and threw it at him. Satoshi turned around to stare at me. I put my bow on my back and reached my hand out.

'Satoshi. It's me. Ryuki.' I said with my other hand.

The beowolf stared at me before it showed its teeth and growled.

'Satoshi?' I asked.

 **Outside**

I flew threw the doors and hit the pillar. I spit out some blood as I saw Satoshi roar.

'Satoshi, this isn't you. Come back.' I said.

The beowolf roared again and charged towards me. I pulled out my bow and transformed it into its staff form to push myself out of the way as the beast broke through the wall and missed me.

I got up to see the beast, he had blood on his face and claws.

'I'm sorry brother.' I said before changing the staff into a bow formation.

Suddenly the ground under us shook as we heard a thunderous roar from mount Glenn.

 **Pov change: Cinder**

"Beautiful." I said as I saw the carnage.

"It's almost sad." Emerald said.

"It's miserable but necessary. Are you catching all this?" I said.

"Oh yeah I am." Mercury said as he filmed the fighting taking place.

"Be sure to film all of this and the conclusion of the little fight of the twins." I said.

We felt the ground shake under us.

"And DON'T miss this." I looked at the mountain.

 **Pov change: Tatsumi**

"Agh…" I groaned as Sydney stabbed me with the aura pack.

"It's okay. You'll be okay." Sydney said.

We heard the roar and looked towards the mountain.

 **Pov change: Ozpin**

I grabbed my cane and went to help stop this but stopped when I felt the ground shake.

"Oh no." I said as I looked at the mountain.

The mountain broke apart and everyone saw the giant dragon Grimm broke free from the mountain and flew towards us. It gave a roar that shook the trees. I approached the window of my office, noticing the Dragon getting closer.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

'Brother, I know you're in there. And I love you, but if you're going to attack me and the others… I have to do this.' I said, desperately trying to get some sort of message from Satoshi to let me know that he's there.

"Hhhrgn." He growled. "Rrrrryyyy…uuuu…kkiiiii…"

Ryuki! He said Ryuki.

'Satoshi!' I said, with a sign of hope.

"Kiiii…llllll…meee."

My hope turned back to fear.

'No. I can't.' I said, tears in my eyes.

Satoshi growled again before roaring at me again, making me realize that I was no longer talking to Satoshi… I was fighting a monster.

'I love you Satoshi.' I said as I formed my bow and pulled out an arrow.

The beowolf seemed to shed a tear as it charged at me and I charged at it.


	36. Chapter 36

**Pov: Ruby**

The dragon Grimm flew past me as I fought a Griffon and managed to kill it. But suddenly, I heard a snap, turning to see Roman's bodyguard changing into her standard attire. She winked after she took a picture of me.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

I ran at the beowolf as he leapt at me. I pulled out a rope arrow and fired at the ceiling and swinging up, dodging the attack and firing at the beast with fire arrows. I watched as it hit the bone armor plating and roared as the fire dispersed and left a small mark. I fell down and fired a frost arrow at it which slowed it down as I ran up, transforming the bow into a staff and hit him with it. It broke free and swiped at me. Luckily, I jumped out of teh way and was in a perfect striking position. I jumped up and aimed my bow, but when he stared at me, all I could remember was…

Satoshi.

When he would give me a jacket when we were cold. When we were starving and he stole me an apple. When he would fight guys who would try and hurt me.

I came back to it when the beowolf swiped again, hitting me this time. I flew back and hit the wall.

I stood up and grabbed an arrow and readied my shot before releasing.

 **Pov change: Blake**

I backed up after seeing my old partner.

"Running away again? Is that what you've become, my love? A coward?" Adam asked.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked.

"You and I were going to change the world, remember? We were destined to light the fires of revolution!" He drew his blade over the Atlesian student. "Consider this... a spark."

I charged at Adam and clashes swords with him.

"I'm... not... running." I grunted.

"You... will." He said as he gained ground in the fight.

He kicked me back, knocking me onto the floor. A nearby Grimm ran towards me, only to be shot by Adam.

"But not before you suffer for your betrayal, my love." He smirked before walking towards me.

 **Pov change: Sydney**

Velvet groaned as she struggled to get up, only to get knocked back down when Coco slammed into her after getting knocked back by a Paladin. Neon and Reese dodged and weaved between groups of us as we fought off against the infected Atlesian Knights and Paladins. Yatsuhashi was fighting a Griffon while Flynt used his trumpet to hold back a Paladin. I looked at Tatsumi as he was wounded but kept fighting. That's when I saw Weiss arrive on the battlefield, but got knocked back another Paladin.

"Weiss!" Neptune yelled.

Yatsuhashi tried to hold back a Paladin's fist with his sword, but he got knocked back. Tatsumi killed a beowolf but was slashed on his back. The Paladin then turned to and started approaching a distracted Ren.

"Look out!" Nora yelled as she took the hit for Ren.

"Nora! No!" Neptune yelled.

I ran over to where Neptune and Coco were as we fired at the paladin. It wasn't even phased by it.

"Uh, this is bad."

"Well, I guess now's a better time than any. Velvet!" Coco yelled.

"Really?" Velvet asked.

"Just make them count." Coco said.

Velvet nodded and walked towards the paladin.

"What are you doing!? She's going to get hurt!" Weiss yelled.

"Just watch." Coco said.

Velvet suddenly replicated Crescent Rose and jumped into the air before landing on top of the Paladin as she dodged its cannon fire. She then replicated Myrtenaster to deflect the Paladin's punch and land a few blows before pushing it back with the Ember Celica replica. After she lands a few shots, she slid under the Paladin's fist, similar to Blake as she uses the Gambol Shroud copy and used its string to trip over the mech, before she moved to the second Paladin by cutting off its hand, and jabbed it in the head with a cleaver.

Before it could react, it is immediately hit with bullets, thanks to Coco's minigun replica. As it moved forward, Velvet switches to using Sun's gun replicas, as she landed another few hits while landing a downward blow from above with a copy of Magnhild, severing a limb.

As the first Paladin attempts to recover, Velvet immediately copied Penny's swords, as she leapt off the second Paladin and slices apart its legs before blasting it at full power. However, the first Paladin sucker punches Velvet.

"Aah!" Velvet flew back.

"Velvet!" Coco yelled.

At this, Coco, Neptune, Nadir, Reese, and I landed suppressing fire.

Before we knew it, Weiss was in front of us and blocked a hit at us using some weird summon of a giant white arm. She swung and the giant sword cut the mech in half. She took a brief look at her summoning before being surprised by a camera flash, which was taken by a smiling Velvet.

But before any of us can take a breath, another advanced Paladin rushed in from the corner and stared at us.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Sun yelled.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

I slid under a claw as it was inches away from my face. I stood up and fired a fire arrow at the same spot I hit beast. This time, it managed to break the armor a bit and I saw an opening. I pulled out an arrow and pulled back. When the beast looked at me, I remembered another moment.

When Satoshi told me that he had fun with Yang. The first time I ever saw him smile in a very long time.

I came back to it when a piece of debris was thrown at me. I wasn't able to make it out of the way and flew backwards as I hit the wall. I looked up to see the beast roar.

I grabbed my bow and charged once more.

 **Pov change: Ruby**

I threw a low swing with my scythe, Roman's bodyguard somersaulting over it, and dodged the next swing, before performing another backflip to dodge the third swing. I then twirled Crescent Rose before attempting another low sweep, only for her to backflip away from my consecutive twirls. Once I finished my attack, I lodged Crescent Rose on the hull and fired a shot, only for the girl to shatter in an illusion, revealing Roman as he fires a shot back with his cane, sending me flying a few feet, before I lodged Crescent Rose to safely grip myself from the surrounding gales, while Roman walked up to me.

"Little Red, little Red, you are just determined to be the hero of Vale, aren'tcha?" He asked.

"What are you doing!? Without these ships, the Grimm will destroy everything!" I yelled.

"That's the plan!" He said.

I swatted his cane just as he attempted to fire it at me, causing him to move a few feet off-balance, before his bodyguard returns and leaps over her, kicking my left cheek, and using the momentum to flip me over and send me tumbling on my back. She then followed up with a roundhouse to my face, and a rear horse kick to nearly send me careening off the hull of the airship.

"But why!? What do you get out of it!?" I asked.

"You're asking the wrong questions, Red! It's not what I have to gain, it's that I can't afford to lose!" Roman yelled.

As I charged, the bodyguard vaulted over Roman for a powerful kick. She then leapt up, grabbed Crescent Rose, and slid under me, flipping me once more with the hook of her parasol. As I spins midair, the pint-sized powerhouse finished with a roundhouse to the abdomen, as Roman slams the barrel of his cane to the ground and fired, causing the cane to ricochet and hit me, before catching it and firing the weapon once more over his shoulder. The blast is enough to send me holding on to the ship for dear life, with the embedded blade of Crescent Rose the only thing preventing me from falling.

"I may be a gambling man, but even I know that there are some bets you just don't take." He said.

His bodyguard then extended her blade and dragged it on the surface, as she held me at swordpoint.

"Like it or not, the people that hired me are going to change the world! You can't stop 'em, I can't stop 'em!" Roman said.

As I kicked away a Nevermore, I notices the button on his bodyguard's parasol.

"You know the old saying, 'If you can't beat 'em-'"

Suddenly, I reached for the parasol, causing it to open and send his bodyguard flying off the airship, leaving her at the mercy of the Grimm roaming the skies and the raging winds.

"NEO!" He yelled.

"I don't care what you say! We will stop them and I will stop you! BET ON THAT!" I yelled.

As I charged at top speed with the use of my Semblance, Roman gripped his cane with both hands, the left hand holding the shaft, as he quickly caught the projectile with the hook end and hurled it at me, knocking me away, before smacking me with the end of the cane, ramming the weapon in my stomach, and firing another shot, sending me on my back once more.

"You got spirit, Red. But this is the real world!" He whacked me with the cane, sending me back a few feet.

"The real world is cold! It doesn't care for things like your little girlfriend's eye." He said as he landed another coshing, this time on Ruby's legs.

"The real world doesn't care about spirit! It doesn't care about kindness!" He hit me again, but I kicked him in the knee, causing him to lose balance as he prepares a downward strike.

"You wanna be a hero!? Then play the part and die like every other Huntsman in history!" Roman said.

"As for me, I'll do what I do best: lie, steal, cheat, and SURVIV-"

Just as Roman prepared a final, overhead swing, an Alpha Griffon suddenly appeared from the sky and swallowed him whole. The roar sent me back a few feet, before the I charged at the Grimm. I prevailed when I kicked the beast in the head, sending it through the hull and causing the ship to fall and to crash. When I realized this, I grabbed Crescent Rose, leapt off the falling airship, and propelled myself in the air, shooting at the ground as if my weapon was a pogo-stick, before landing safely on the rooftops of Vale.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

I kicked the beast back as I fired a rope arrow behind me, allowing myself to fly back and land at a safe distance. The beast charged after me and swiped at me. I jumped up and grabbed a handhold and jumped onto the roof. I fell to my knees as I felt the wounds bleed. I injected myself with aura and felt the wounds scar over quickly. I jumped off the rooftop and fired a frost arrow at the beast, slowing it down as I had a shot on the beast. However, when I suddenly heard a loud explosion, I looked to see the last frigate was set ablaze and crashing.

Ruby…

I heard the ice break and saw the beast break out and glare at me.

 **Pov change: Sydney**

In the Beacon courtyard, we stood together, prepared to fight the Atlesian Paladin as it charging toward them.

"If I'm gonna did, I might as well say it. Love ya Sydney." Tatsumi said.

I looked at him and saw his arm was bleeding and he was bleeding heavily.

"I-"

Suudenly, electricity arcs across the mech and suddenly powered down, collapsing and sliding to a stop in front of us.

"Hm. That went better than expected." Sun said.

Weiss doubled over, exhausted, leaning on her rapier to keep herself standing.

"Weiss!" We heard Yang as she ran over to us. "You're all okay! Have you heard from Ruby?"

Weiss shook her head.

"What about Blake?" Yang asked.

"She went after an Alpha... and some members of the White Fang." Weiss pointed.

"What about… Satoshi?" Yang asked.

I looked at Tatsumi who nodded.

"Ryuki went to go after him. But before that, he attacked Tatsumi…"

"I-I need to find him." Yang said.

"Yang, if Ryuki can't get him back. We won't be able to get him back." I said.

"…You guys look for Ruby. I'll meet up with Blake." Yang said as she rushed off.

 **Pov change: Ozpin**

In the Beacon vault, an elevator opens up to see the machine. The three of us immediately sprinted out of the elevator and down the corridor.

"What is this place?" Jaune asked.

"It's... a type of vault." Pyrrha said.

"You've... been here before?" Jaune asked,

After a moment of silence, Jaune spoke again.

"What would this school need to... hide?" Jaune asked as we reached our destination.

"What? Who?" Jaune asked.

"Jaune..."

"Pyrrha! Get to the pods!" I yelled.

Pyrrha looked at Jaune, then ran to the second pod.

"Mister Arc, if you'd like to help, you can stand guard here." I said.

"Did you know? About Satoshi? About Ryuki?" He asked.

"Jaune, this is not the time or place for that." I said.

Jaune looked down before standing guard.

"What do we do now?" Pyrrha asked.

"WE, do nothing." I said as I opened the second pod.

I turned to Pyrrha.

"YOU, Miss Nikos... have a choice to make." I said.

Pyrrha looked at the pod, then at Jaune, hesitating. Her expression changed from uncertainty to sadness, as she wiped a tear from her eye, still looking at Jaune. She then climbed into the pod, which I closed.

 **Pov change: Blake**

"This could've been our day! Can't you see that!?" Adam yelled.

"I never wanted this! I wanted equality! I wanted peace!" I yelled.

I raised my sword, folding it into its sickle mode, and shot at Adam, who blocked both bullets with his sword.

"What you want is impossible!"

He sheathed his sword and backhanded me across the face, knocking me over.

"But I understand because all I want is you, Blake.

I began to raise my sickle again, only for him to kick it out of my hand, knocking me over once again.

"And as I set out upon this world and deliver the justice mankind and those Grimm twins so greatly deserve, I will make it my mission to destroy everything you love." He said.

"Blake!" We heard.

We looked and saw Yang shoot a white fang memeber before yelling, "Blake! Where are you!?"

Adam looked at me to see my terrified expression, then returned his gaze to Yang.

"Starting with her." He said.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

I flew back and felt my arm was near broken. I looked and saw I had one last arrow in my quiver and my bow in my other hand. I heard the beast when it turned the corner to see me.

Satoshi…

I reached over and grabbed my bow and with my sprained arm, grabbed the last arrow and nocked. I grabbed the bow and I pulled back as hard as I could, aiming at the spot that I opened.

The beast growled as it charged at me and leapt into the air.

 **Pov change: Ozpin**

"Are you ready?" I asked.

Pyrrha looks at me and gave a slow nod.

"I... I need to hear you say it." I said.

"Yes." She said.

"Thank you, Miss Nikos." I said.

I pressed the button and the aura transfer began. The process was… affecting Pyrrha as she screamed in agony.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune said.

Jaune ran over to Pyrrha's pod, moving his gaze back and forth between Pyrrha and Amber's pod. While the boy watched, I couldn't.

"I'm... so sorry."

Suddenly, an arrow pierced the glass of Amber's pod, striking her in the chest. Amber gasps, and her eyes open, then begin to close again, while the machine begins beeping an alarm. Jaune and I turned around to see Salem's apprentice standing halfway down the corridor from them, an obsidian bow in her hand.

 **Pov change: Blake**

Adam drew his sword and stabbed it into my abdomen near my left hip, causing me to shriek in pain.

"Huh?" I heard Yang ask.

Adam stands upright, pulling his sword from my flesh and turning to face Yang.

"Get away from her!" Yang yelled.

"No... please..." I begged.

Adam sheathed his sword, smiling. Yang screamed, her eyes turning red and a burst of flame erupting from her. She leapt at Adam, drawing her fist back with tears in her eyes. Adam swiftly drew his sword, swinging it through the air at Yang, as his Semblance activates. As Yang flew through the air, the lower half of her right arm separated from her body.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

I screamed loudly as I let the arrow loose and watched as it pierced through the beast until I could only see the feathers.

 **Pov change: ozpin**

Amber struggled to breathe, her eyes wide, the machine's alarm still going. Finally, all breath left her. Her eyes drifted shut, and her head leaned to the side, her whole body going limp. The green flames that lit the torches throughout the vault suddenly snuff out.

 **Pov change: Blake**

I watched as Yang flew through the air, beginning to lose consciousness, with glowing yellow Aura splattering out from her wound. She landed on the floor and laid there on her side, completely still.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

The Grimm coughed up black ooze as it collapsed onto the side of the wall and slowly began to shrink until I saw the paling skin of Satoshi.

 **Pov change: ozpin**

Pyrrha frantically beat her fists against the glass of her pod. The orange glow left Pyrrha and traveled back through the pipes into Amber. The glow then bursts out of Amber, shattering the glass in its way, and entered Cinder. The murderer glows, begins floating, and gains long trails of flame around her eyes, with orange energy swirling around her. Pyrrha beat even harder on the glass, her stress increasing. Jaune raised his sword and charged toward Cinder.

"Stay back!" I yelled.

Cinder cast a large fireball toward Jaune, who blocked it with his shield and was blasted backwards, landing on his back.

"JAUNE!" Pyrrha yelled.

Finally, Pyrrha used her Semblance to rip the pod's door off its hinges, threw it at Cinder, who knocked it away like it was nothing. As Cinder began to descend to the floor, Pyrrha leapt out of the pod and charged, calling her weapon and shield to her with her Semblance. However, I put my arm out, stopping her.

"Take Jaune and get out of here! Find Glynda! Ironwood! Qrow! Bring them here right away! The tower cannot fall!" I said.

"But I can help." Pyrrha said.

"You'll only get in the way." I said as I looked at her.

Pyrrha hesitated for a moment but obeyed me, scooping up Jaune and running away. While she does so, Cinder descended to the floor and watched them leave, with the glow, the swirling energy, and the flames around her eyes all disappearing. Cinder turned her attention back to me, her eyes still glowing for a moment.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

I slid up to Satoshi and held him closely.

"Ryuki…" He said.

I looked at him and saw him bleeding heavily from the arrow's wound.

"You have to go… find Ruby and get out of here…"

I shook my head.

"You have to… do it for me… I may die here… but I'll be damned if I let the same… fate happen to you…" He said.

I began to cry as I realized he was right.

"Hey… look at me…"

I stared at him and saw him smirk.

"I'm proud…" he said.

His eyes slowly began to shut as he lowered his head.

I was bawling at this point as I hugged Satoshi's body.

 **Pov change: Blake**

Adam slowly walked toward Yang's unconscious body and swung his sword out to the side, casting blood from the blade. Before he could reach her, I threw herself between them, giving him a determined stare.

"Why must you hurt me, Blake?" Adam asked.

I used my semblance to make a fake Yang and I. As he decapitated the fake Blake, I managed to get away with Yang.

 **Pov change: ozpin**

"This whole time... right beneath our feet. She was right about you."

I flipped my cane upside down.

"Such arrogance." She said.


	37. Chapter 37

**Pov: Ruby**

"That's it! Everybody on board! This is a mandatory evacuation!" Port said.

"A safe zone has been established in Vale! Please, remain calm and listen to Atlas personnel!"

I ran towards the group and saw Zwei bark, getting Weiss' attention.

"Ruby!" Weiss ran over to me.

"Oh, I found you!" I said.

"Ruby, where have you-"

"Don't worry, I'm fine! What's going on?" I asked.

I noticed Weiss look down.

"Weiss? What is it?" I asked again.

Weiss stepped aside, giving me a clear view of Blake and Yang lying on the ground. Both girls had bandages wrapped around their wounds, and the Yang was unconscious. Behind them sat Nora and Ren, who were too battered and bruised to fight. Blake reached over and placed her hand on Yang's.

"I'm sorry." Blake said as tears came out.

I reached out and opened my mouth to say something, but I didn't know what to say. That's when I heard crying ahead of them, past Ren and Nora and saw Ryuki. Behind them… was Ryuki as she held Satoshi's body, which was wrapped in a blanket. I saw the arrow in his chest and knew what that meant.

"I'm so sorry." Blake said as she curled up.

"Yang... Satoshi…" I said.

"Hey. Yang's gonna be okay, but… you should be with Ryuki. The soldiers have a ship ready to take you guys to Vale." Sun said.

"But Jaune and Pyrrha are still missing." Nora said as she stood up only to quickly sit back down, upset.

"What!?" I asked.

"Look, guys, that giant Grimm is circling the school! Even the White Fang are pulling out! We all have to go, now!" Sun said.

"We're not... leaving! Ugh!" Ren got up before he collapsed again.

Sun turned and casted a worried look at Blake.

"I'll find them... I'll find them, and I'll bring them back." I said.

"No! We will find them. Watch after the others. We'll be back." Weiss said.

Weiss and I ran back towards Beacon Academy.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

Everything was silent. I stared down at my twin brother as he laid lifeless in my arms. I saw his eyes and saw how big the irises were, telling me that he was no longer in there. I pulled him close to me when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Ryuki, it's time. We have to go." Sun said.

I nodded and hoisted Satoshi up and walked towards the bullhead.

I got on and placed Satoshi down gently. Sun walked up and placed Yang down as well. He hopped in with Neptune before the door shut and we took off to a safe haven.

 **Pov change: Ruby**

Weiss and I were on our way back to Beacon when Weiss' Scroll began ringing.

"It's Jaune!" She accepted the call. "Where are you?"

'Weiss! Please, you have to stop her!' Jaune said.

"What!?" Weiss asked.

'Pyrrha! She's going after that woman at the top of the tower! She doesn't stand a chance!' Jaune said.

"Jaune, what are you talking about!? Where are you?" Weiss asked.

'Don't worry about me! Please, you have to save Pyrrha.' We heard.

"We will. Are you okay?" Weiss asked.

Nothing.

"Jaune? Jaune!" Weiss asked.

The ground shook, alerting Weiss and I to the danger that approached them. The Dragon flew into view, circling Beacon Tower as some black ooze dripped from it. It perched on one of the arches stemming from the tower and screeched. I drew Crescent Rose, shifting it into its scythe form in preparation for the Grimm spawning from the ooze.

"I have a plan." I said.

"You always do." Weiss said as she drew her weapon.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

We landed and I saw the groups of people who made it. As we got off, suddenly three armed soldiers pointed their guns at me as I held Satoshi.

"Ryuki Suni, put down your brother's body." They said.

I shook my head and glared at them.

"He is a threat to these people."

"He's dead!" Sun yelled.

"And he may very well come back as a Grimm." The soldier said.

"That's enough!" We heard.

We looked and saw the General. He had half of his shirt ripped, showing his cybernetic arm and chest.

"She just lost her brother, have some respect." The general said.

Somebody pushed past the people and yelled.

"YANG!" He yelled.

He looked a lot like Yang so I assumed it was her father. He looked at us and saw my eye.

"Are you Ryuki?" He asked.

I slowly nodded my head.

"Where's Ruby?" He asked.

I turned to stare at the school.

"Oh god…"

He looked at me again.

"This must be Satoshi…" he said.

I nodded.

"Here, you can come with me. I'll put Satoshi and Yang in the bullhead going towards where we live." He said as he helped Yang up.

 **Pov change: Ruby**

"We've gotta hurry!" I yelled.

Weiss looked around for a moment, before casting a series of glyphs up the side of the tower.

"You can do this." Weiss said.

I ran forward, then used my Semblance to propel myself up to the first glyph. I then sprinted up the wall, the glyphs propelling me forward and keeping me from falling off.

I finally reached the top of the tower, landing and all I could do was watch. I saw Pyrrha sitting with her eyes closed, accepting the fate that awaited her. Cinder loosened the arrow, which planted itself directly in the center of Pyrrha's chest. I watched as Pyrrha gasped in pain, the wound in her chest emitting a red glow. Cinder approached her and placed a hand on Pyrrha's head, and in an instant, she was incinerated.

"PYRRHAAAAAA!" I screamed as I began to lose consciousness.

"WHAT?!" I heard.

I heard multiple voices.

"It's alright. I got ya, kiddo. I got ya."

"Nothing."

"Just turn it off. Without the CCT, there's no point."

"Communication down across the entire Kingdom, no way to contact the outside world... and Ozpin's still missing."

"Yeah. Not to mention our… guest."

"This is bad, Qrow."

"Yeah, this is bad."

I woke up to see that I was in my bed back in Patch. I had my gray pajamas on and then saw dad was asleep. I started to get which caused dad to stir awake.

"Ruby! You're awake!"

"Ugh... what happened?"

"Your uncle Qrow found you, unconscious. He got you out of there, though, and brought you home safe." Dad said.

"Wait! Yang! Ryuki! Are they alright!?" I asked quickly.

"Yang is… Uh... She's uh... she's gonna be alright. I think she's just... I think it's just gonna take some time for her to get used to things. She's too strong to let this stop her. I'm just glad to have my girls back at home."

"What about Ryuki?" I asked.

"Ryuki is… well… she's taking her brother's passing as well as one can expect. She's outside right now. We buried him about a mile out next to a lake. She said that he would've liked it there." Dad said.

"…What happened to the school?! And Vale?! Were they able to clear out the Grimm?" I asked.

"Things at Vale are under control, but the school... It's... it's not that simple. That thing, whatever it is, doesn't seem to be dead. Don't get me wrong, you did a number on it. But it's not disappearing. It's... kind of... frozen. I know that doesn't sound too bad, but it keeps attracting more Grimm to the school." Dad said.

"I did... what?" I asked.

"Hmm?" Dad asked.

"You said I did a number on it. What do you mean?" I asked.

"I... Look that's not important right now. We can talk about it later. Things are just... kind of a mess." Dad said

"It's always a mess." We heard.

We looked to see qrow as he finished his drink.

"Mind if we have a minute?" Qrow asked.

"What, I can't stay here?!" Dad asked, offended.

"Tai. Please." Qrow said.

Dad stood up, sighed, and then leaned in to kiss me on the forehead.

"I'm glad you're alright. I'll go make us some tea." Dad said as he walked out.

"So, how you feeling?" Qrow asked.

"Um... I kind of hurt... all over." I said.

"Hehe That makes sense, after what you did." He crossed his arms.

"You guys keep saying that! That I did something! What are you talking about?!" I asked.

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"I ran up the side of the tower, and when I got to the top, I... Pyrrha! Is she...?"

"She's gone."

"I... I... I got to the top... and I saw Pyrrha... and Cinder... and then everything went white!"

"Anything else?"

"I remember... my head hurting."

"The night you met Ozpin, what was the first thing he said to you?"

"I... I don't know. I think it was something about..."

"Silver eyes. That's an extremely rare trait."

"So?" I asked.

"You're special, Ruby. And not in the 'Daddy loves his special angel' kind of way. You're special the same way your mom was. Ryuki and Satoshi were special in different ways with their eyes. Remnant's full of legends and stories, some of them true, some made up. But there's one Oz told me from a very long time ago. Back before Huntsmen, before Kingdoms, it was said that those born with silver eyes were destined to lead the life of a warrior. You see, the creatures of Grimm, the most fearsome monsters mankind had ever encountered, were afraid of those silver-eyed warriors. They were the best of the best. It was said that even a single look from one of these fighters could strike a Grimm down. Heh. It's a ridiculous story."

"But... you think that I might be..."

"Well, a giant monster is currently frozen on top of Beacon Tower. And you're here, safe in bed." Qrow said.

He gets to his feet and walks over to a window, leaning on the sill and staring outside.

"Wait, wait, how did you know what Ozpin said to me... the night we met?"

"All those missions I go on... all the times I'm away in some far-off place... it's been for Ozpin. But he's missing now. Something's been set in motion. With Oz gone, I'll have to pick up where he left off." Qrow said.

"And what could I do? If I'm so special, then I can help, right?" I asked.

"You really wanna help? Get some rest. You're in no condition to go anywhere right now. Besides, our enemy's trail leads all the way to Haven. That'd be quite a trip for a pipsqueak like you. Catch ya later, kiddo." He winked as he left.

I stared at the mirror for a bit before I got out of bed. I walked down the hall to see Yang's room with the door open.

"Yang?

I waited for a moment but heard no response, I turned to go away

"Ruby." I heard.

I turned to see her irritated eyes.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" I said as I hugged her.

"But I'm not." She said.

I frowned and released the hug.

"It's all gone - the school, Penny, Pyrrha… Satoshi… and..."

"Yang, where are Weiss and Blake?"

"Weiss' father... came for her."

"What? What do you mean?" I asked.

"No one outside of Vale knows what happened here. Before the tower fell, the last thing people saw was Atlas attacking innocent people and Grimm destroying the city. Everyone's scared. No one knows who to trust. So, Weiss' father came to take her back to Atlas, where he thinks it's safe. She's gone."

"Well, what about-"

"And Blake ran! Sun saw her go. After we got to the city, she just... ran!"

"But... why!?" I asked.

"I don't know... and I don't care."

"There has to be a reason she-"

"No, there doesn't! Sometimes bad things just happen, Ruby! Just like how Ryuki had to… had to kill Satoshi…" Yang wiped her eyes.

"So, what do we do now?" I asked.

"You can do whatever you want. I'm gonna lie here."

"Yang..." I said.

"Just leave me alone."

I slowly left the room, but paused in the doorway, looking over my shoulder to say one last thing.

"I love you." I said.

"Save that for my boyfriend's killer." She said as she looked out the window.

I walked outside and saw the path to the lake and followed it.

 **Later**

I made it to the lake and saw Ryuki staring at a grave. I walked up and placed my hand on her shoulder.

She looked at me and sighed.

"Hey…" I said.

'He always wanted to get out of the city. Gone somewhere where we could just spend our remaining days together where no one can hurt us. At least now… no one can hurt him anymore…' Ryuki said.

She placed her hand on mine and turned around to cry into my shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." I said.

We stood there for a while and let her release her emotions.

 **Months later**

I stepped outside, wearing a backpack, and quietly shut the front door. I turned to see Jaune and Ryuki who had a black winter coat and Satoshi's sword and her bow. She had a photo of team STRS all smiling.

"Hey." Jaune said.

"Hey, Jaune. Haven's a long way to go." I said.

"I know. It's the only way we have." Jaune said.

"Are you sure you want to come along?" I asked.

"The journey will be perilous, and whether we'll find answers at the end is entirely uncertain." Ren said.

"But we wouldn't be here if we weren't up for it." Nora said.

Ryuki walked up and kissed me on the cheek.

"Then let's get started." I said.

The five of us began our long trek, down the road leading away from home.

We made it to Satoshi's grave and I gave him a kiss on the cross.

'You will always have a place in my heart.' I said as I pulled out his sword.

I lifted up and planted it a few feet in front of the cross.

"Ready?" Ruby asked.

I nodded and we went to the next spot.

 **A bit later**

Ruby said goodbye to her mother and we were off to Haven.

"You think we'll run into Tatsumi in Haven?" Nora asked.

"Perhaps. He does come from there." Ren said.

 **Pov change: Salem**

"A smaller, more honest soul... It's true that a simple spark can ignite hope, breathe fire into the hearts of the weary. The ability to derive strength from hope is undoubtedly mankind's greatest attribute. Which is why I will focus all of my power... to snuff it out. How does it feel, knowing that all of your time and effort has been for nothing? That the story of the twins has been partway completed? That you are responsible for the death of the Grimm boy? That your guardians have failed you? That everything you've built will be torn down before your very eyes? Your faith in mankind was not misplaced. When banded together, unified by a common enemy, they are a noticeable threat. But divide them, place doubt into their minds, and any semblance of power they once had will wash away. Of course, they won't realize it at first. Like you, they'll cling to their fleeting hope, their aspirations. But this is merely the first move. So you send your guardians, your Huntsmen and Huntresses, and when they fail and you turn to your smaller soul, know that you send her to the same pitiful demise. This is the beginning of the end, Ozpin... and I can't wait to watch you burn."


	38. Chapter 38

**Ryuki Suni Trailer**

I inhaled and exhaled as I grabbed a wooden arrow and placed it in by bow.

"Remember that you have to hit it in the center where the heart is." Satoshi said.

I nodded as I aimed my bow at the rabbit. I inhaled and exhaled before releasing.

The shot just barely missed.

I got up and threw my bow on the ground.

"Hey it's okay." He said.

I crossed my arms.

"Yes it will get better." Satoshi said.

I pointed at my bow and crossed my arms.

"Okay, we need to go get some books on sign language. Cause I can't understand what you're saying." Satoshi said.

I rolled my eyes as I agreed.

 **Later**

We were walking downtown and saw the usual glares and heard the usual remarks.

"Freaks…"

"Disgusting."

Satoshi held my hand and I saw that he was upset at what they were saying.

We walked into a bookstore and saw that it was just us, another kid, and the Shopkeeper. We looked around and found a book on sign language.

"Hey we'd like to buy this." Satoshi said to the Shopkeeper.

He looked at us and pointed at the sign.

'No shirt

No shoes

Grimm eyes

No service'

"Come on please, my sister needs to learn how to speak sign language." Satoshi said.

The Shopkeeper shrugged in response.

"Thanks for nothing." Satoshi said as he placed the book down.

We turned to walk out and I saw the kid look at us before looking away.

We walked down the sidewalk back to our "lovely home."

"Wait!" I heard.

We turned around to see the kid from earlier holding a book on sign language.

"Here." He handed it to me.

"What's the catch?" Satoshi asked.

"I just want to help." He said.

"What's your name?" Satoshi asked.

"Shane. Shane Orbeck." He said.

"Thanks Shane." Satoshi said. "Come on Ryuki."

We continued to walk away but I turned around to wave goodbye.

 **Later**

"So you were saying that the bow wasn't strong enough?" Satoshi asked.

I nodded my head.

"Here let me see." He grabbed the bow and checked it. "The string is too loose. Let me just… there we go."

I held the bow and saw that Satoshi had tightened the string to allow a better aim.

"Let's go get some lunch." Satoshi said.

 **Later**

I inhaled and exhaled as I saw my prey. I pulled back on the bow and fired.

I walked up to see that I got the rabbit.

 **That night**

Satoshi and I were enjoying my catch as we stared at the night sky.

"You were incredible today." Satoshi said.

I nodded.

"With your bow and my sword. We can take on the world. But we will have to work together."

I nodded and smiled.

"To our future victories." Satoshi cheered.

 **Present**

I looked at my reflection in the water and saw that I was much older from back then… I looked to my left and saw the empty space where Satoshi used to sit as we had camp set up. I looked down and saw my bow. I turned it around to see 'R+S' carved into it.

"Hey." I heard.

I looked to see Ruby. She's gotten older and her clothing has been tattered just a bit.

"We got some deer. Wanna come join us?" Ruby asked.

'Give me a minute, I'll be there soon.' I said.

"Okay." Ruby kissed my on the cheek before going back over to the others.

I looked at the bow for a few more seconds before I got up and walked back over to the others.

 **Tatsumi/Sydney Trailer**

I woke up in my home to see the worn down ceiling. I looked to my left to see Sydney was "gone."

"I know you're there." I said.

Sydney stopped being invisible and stared at me.

"Good morning." Sydney said as she got out of bed.

I sat up and looked down to see my scars from that night at Beacon.

"How do you think Ryuki is doing?" I asked.

"How should I know?" Sydney asked as she put on a new shirt.

"Sydney…"

"I know… I don't know probably taking it harder than we are. He was our leader but he was her brother."

"Yeah…" I said.

She hopped onto the bed and placed her hands on my shoulders.

"Hey why don't we go get some fresh air? Huh?" Sydney kissed my cheek.

We got dressed privately and walked through the door to see the "wonderful" city that was Haven.

"Ready to go have some fun?" Sydney asked.

"If you wanted to have some fun, we can go back inside." I smirked.

Sydney rolled her eyes before she smirked.

"We DID go out for some fresh air." Sydney said.

Sydney hopped up and I caught her as we walked back inside.

 **Volume 4 will be out soon.**


	39. Chapter 39

**Pov: Cinder**

I saw Emerald and Mercury were looking outside at the Grimm being created and I snapped my fingers to them.

"Yes, yes, keep your posse in check." Watts said.

Mercury grunted and tried to make a move toward Watts, but Emerald held him back.

"You hear that? Silence." Watts said.

I saw Hazel give Watts an unimpressed glance.

"I've half a mind to thank the little girl that bested you." Watts said.

"If I were you, I'd hunt her down. Heh Find her and, well, she took your eye, didn't she?" Tyrian said.

I stared at Tyrian while he cackled at me. I tried to speak but only managed to make quiet exhaling noises. Emerald leaned in to hear me.

"Pathetic. Why did you even-"

The sound of a heavy metal door being unlatched and open made everyone stand just before Salem entered. She slid alongside the table before reaching the head of it, jewels jangling from her hair. Salem stopped, facing away from us and toward a candle and crystal display.

"Watts." She said.

Watts straightened up, looking toward her.

"Do you find such malignance necessary?" She asked.

She gestures for all of us to sit down.

"I apologize, ma'am. I'm not particularly fond of failure." Watts said as he and Salem sat simultaneously.

"Then I see no reason for your cruelty towards young Cinder. She's become our Fall Maiden, destroyed Beacon Tower, caused the Grimm girl to kill her brother, and most importantly, killed dear Ozpin. So I'm curious, to what failures are you referring?"

"Well, the girl with the Silver Eyes." Watts said.

"Yes. We've dealt with their kind before. How is it a novice was able to best one of us?" Hazel asked.

"My thoughts exactly. Even with her new power, it should have been effortless." Watts said.

"It is because of the Maiden's power. Make no mistake, Cinder, you hold the key to our victory. But your newfound strength brings with it a crippling weakness. Which is why you will remain by my side as we continue your treatment." Salem said.

I wasn't happy about that and lowered my head.

"Dr. Watts, you are to take Cinder's place and meet with our informant in Mistral. But not until you are done with what I asked." Salem said.

"Very good." Watts said.

"Tyrian, I want you to continue your hunt for the Spring Maiden." Salem said.

"Gladly." Tyrian laughed.

"And Hazel, I'm sending you to the leader of the White Fang. Adam Taurus has arranged the meeting. The boy continues to prove loyal. Ensure that Sienna Khan feels the same." Salem said.

"As you wish." Hazel said.

I raised a finger.

"Oh!"

Emerald leaned in to hear me.

"Ask about the girl." I said.

"Speak, child." Salem said.

"She wants to know… What about the girl?" Emerald asked.

"What about her? Seems to me that she's Cinder's problem, not ours."

I slammed my fist on the table and glared at watts who smirked.

"That's enough. Tyrian?"

"Yes, my lady?" Tyrian asked.

"Spring can wait. Find the girl that did this to Cinder and teach her what happens when you hurt one of us."

Tyrian giggled elatedly and clapped.

"But bring her to me and bring the Grimm girl as well. I have plans for her. Because of your efforts, Beacon has fallen. And Haven will be next."

We all rose.

Tyrian snickered at me and points to his left eye.

"Eye for an eye." Tyrian began to laugh maniacally.

 **Pov change: Nora**

"I'm just sayin'...there's more members of JNPR in this team than RWBY and STRS. It just makes sense to go with that one." I said.

"But 'junior' isn't a color." Ren said.

"How can I be more clear? There's three members of team JNPR and in total 2 people from teams RWBY and STRS."

"But we're helping Ruby with her objective." Ren said. "Wouldn't that make her the leader?"

"Guys!" We heard.

Ren and I turn toward Jaune.

"We need to focus. Also, JNRR is way cooler."

"Exactly!" I said.

Ren groaned.

Suddenly, we heard a rumble.

"It's here." Jaune said.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

I ran along the side as the Grimm chased Ruby through the trees. This Grimm was going to be more challenging since my armor is currently being upgraded. This Grimm seemed to control a collection of floating boulders. As it chased Ruby, she was firing away from the creature, hitting some trees along the way.

"Bad… landing… strategy!" Ruby yelled.

Ruby landed on a tree branch that was strong enough for her. I pulled out a rope arrow and fired it at the tree and flew up next to her.

"Ready for this?" Ruby asked.

I nodded as Ruby grabbed me.

Ruby used her semblance to fly back. As we flew through the forest, we saw the others.

"We could use some help!"

We landed and joined our friends. Nora shot the Grimm in the back. Ren hopped around on branches. The Grimm seemed to try to hit Ren. Ren ran up its rock arm, flew into the air, and came down upon the Grimm, striking at it with his weapon. It was ineffective.

"Gotta get in closer!" Jaune said.

"My blades don't hurt him!" Ren said.

The Grimm turned, standing upright.

"Crap!" Nora yelled.

"How about this?!" Ruby asked.

She loaded a magazine with electricity while I got an electric arrow out before we opened fire on the Grimm. Our shots encased one of the Grimm's arms. The red lines on the arm glowed brighter, and the Grimm slammed it into the ground. All of us were sent flying backward, but most of us were able to land on our feet, except jaune.

"'You'll be fine without a weapon. You're the strategist.'" Jaune mimicked/

"That's it!" Nora yelled.

She ran forward, tossing her weapon into the air and transforming it into hammer mode. She jumped into the air and hit it, breaking its arm off.

"Hey! Be careful! Especially Ryuki." Jaune yelled behind us.

The Grimm's armless shoulder gained a glowing red circle with a symbol of an eye in the middle. The circle spun, and then a black, elongated arm with clawed fingers emerged from it. The arm reared back, getting ready to strike.

"Uh-oh." Jaune said.

The Grimm shoved its new arm into the tree Jaune was leaning against and lifted it from the ground.

"His arm is a tree! His arm is a tree!" Jaune yelled.

"Big mistake!" Ruby said.

Ruby spun Crescent Rose and loaded another magazine into it - this one was fire. I looked at the tree and knew it was too thick. But before I could warn her, she fired, and the flaming projectile hit the tree arm.

'Great the Grimm has a burning arm.' I said.

"Eh sorry?" Ruby asked.

I smiled and rolled my eyes.

"Big mistake!" Jaune yelled.

The Grimm chased Jaune, swinging the flaming arm at him. It missed twice, but then Jaune fell. However, one of Ren's weapons spun through the air and made a cut across the Grimm's mask. This made Grimm fall.

Ren land beside Jaune and caught his gun. Ruby, Nora, and I came up behind them.

"Okay, how do we do this?" Jaune asked.

"His body is too thick to break through." Ren said.

"It doesn't care about its body." Jaune said.

"Plus it can keep grabbing new limbs!" Nora said.

"But it keeps protecting its face." Jaune said.

"We can't break it!"

"Ugh, if we knocked all of its limbs off at once and went for the…"

'The mask must be its weakness.' I said.

"Guys, I got it! We hit it harder!" Jaune said.

"Is that it?" Ren asked.

I was so confused by that plan.

"No, seriously. It's trying to keep us from its face. If we kill the limbs, we'll have a shot to kill the whole thing!" Jaune said.

"Alright! Come on, team, let's do this." Ruby said.

"Yeah!" Nora said.

"Right!" Ren said.

I nodded and got out another arrow.

"Ren, left. Ruby, right. Ryuki, feet."

Ren, Ruby, and I departed as told.

Ruby attacked the right side. Ren attacked the left.

I ran up and pulled out a frost arrow and fired at its feet, slowing it down.

"Ready!" We heard Nora yell.

Ruby jumped back and landed next to Jaune.

"Use everything you've got!" Jaune yelled.

Ruby used her Semblance to fly at the Grimm, taking Nora with her. Ruby sliced the tree in half, opening the way for Nora to hit the mask with her hammer. The rock body shattered and the Grimm rose out of it and tried to escape.

I jumped up and aimed at the Grimm but before I could fire… I had a flash of Satoshi.

 **Pov change: Ruby**

I saw Ryuki was freaking out so I quickly took out my sniper and fired. After hearing a screech, I put my weapon down and hopped up to her and hugged her.

"Hey it's okay, I'm here." I said as I felt Ryuki hug me back.

I looked at her and saw her move her hands.

'I had another moment…' she said.

"It's okay, I'm here for you. Ready to go back to the town?"

She nodded and I helped her up.

"Another victory for Team JNRR!"

'That was… just bad.' Ryuki said.

We all chuckled at that.

"Yeah, okay. Ren, I think you're onto something. I-it's just not sounding great anymore."

 **Later**

I smiled as I shook hands with the town Mayor.

"We truly can't thank you enough." The mayor said.

"Just doing our job, sir." I said.

"That Geist had been plaguing our village for weeks. We were beginning to wonder if we'd have to relocate."

"Well, we are on our way to Mistral. You could always come along with us if you don't feel safe." I said.

"Ha. I take it you're not from these parts. Anima is a large continent. I'm afraid our people would never survive the long trek to Mistral. It may be safer in the Kingdoms, but we prefer our way of life. I just wish we could pay you more." The mayor said.

"Our previous arrangement is more than sufficient." Ren said.

 **Later**

We were at the counter as a burly man with horns sets down a set of armor.

"There you go, son. It's going to be heavier than what you're used to, but you'll thank me the next time you go up against a set of claws. And you girl, your armor will now help you keep up a reasonable substitute for aura."

I saw Ryuki was staring at her hands and they were shaking. I reached over and held her hand which made her jump a bit but she seemed to be better.

"Wow. That-eh. I don't know what to say."

"Don't gotta say anything! Just both of you put it on! I'll go get the rest." The blacksmith said.

"So, what are you waiting for?" Nora asked.

"Oh, uh, right! Guess I was going to grow out of it eventually." Jaune said.

I looked at Ryuki who was staring at the armor.

"This will help you in the fights to come."

Ryuki nodded and walked up to the armor and picked it up. She put on the armor and turned to face me. It was a mix between her's and Satoshi's which… still made me sad to think about. Both for him and for Ryuki. Ever since she's been having these moments where she can't kill Grimm. She said that it reminds her of Satoshi which I completely understand. It's like a PTSD experience.

"A sign of progress." Ren said.

"Progress." Jaune said.

Jaune turned around, and I saw what he was wearing and gasped before I covered my mouth and tried not to giggle.

"What is it?"

"What is that?" I asked, pointing at the bunny emblem that is on Jaune's chest.

"What, my hoodie? I've always had this."

"It's got a cute little bunny rabbit!" I laughed

"It's Pumpkin Pete! You know, from the cereal?" Jaune asked.

"What did you do?! Send in a box top for a prize?" I laughed loudly.

"Yeah! Fifty!" Jaune said.

I began to laugh hysterically. As I laughed, I saw Ryuki begin to chuckle, which made me happy.

'"Well, I suppose we don't have to grow out of everything." Ren said.

"Can't have a Huntsman without his weapon." The blacksmith said. "And her weapon."

The blacksmith planted Jaune's new sword into the table and placed Ryuki's new weapon, a Atlesian steel dagger on the table.

"You had some extra armor parts so I melted them into this. On the house." The blacksmith said.

Ryuki picked up the dagger and nodded.

"Made all the modifications you asked for." The blacksmith said.

"That was some fine metal you two brought me. Accents the white nicely. Where'd you get it from?"

"From some friends…" Jaune said.

 **Outside**

We saw Ryuki and jaune testing their equipment.

"He cleans up alright, don't you think?" The blacksmith asked.

"He certainly does." Ren said.

"I still think a grenade launcher would've really brought the look together." Nora said.

"Nothing's gonna stop Team RNJR now!" I said.

"Team JNRR!" Nora said.

"Still not a color." Ren said.

"It doesn't matter what we're called. As long as we're together." Jaune said.

'Agreed.' Ryuki said.

"You kids sure you won't stick around? You've been real good to this town." The blacksmith said.

"Sorry, but we've got another mission." I said.

"Make it to Haven Academy, no matter what." Nora said.

"We've heard the next village over has a working Airship." Ren said.

"Mmm, no way to know for sure. Scroll signals were weak enough out here back when Beacon Tower was still up. Haven't heard from Shion Village in a while." The blacksmith said.

"Well, there's only one way to find out." I said.

 **Later**

"Food?" Jaune asked.

"Check!" Nora said.

"Water?"

"Check!"

"How about ammo?"

"Locked and loaded! Thank you, Schnee Dust Company!"

"Got the map?"

I is looked down sadly when Ryuki walked next to me and held my hand. I smiled at her and was back to my usual happy self.

"Ren's got it."

"No, I don't. You have it."

"Wait, what?"

"Guys, please tell me you're joking." Jaune said.

"Uh.. heh-heh-heh."

"Guys! Guys? Guys..." jaune begged.

"Nope." Nora said.


	40. Chapter 40

**Pov: Weiss**

I was walking down the hall towards my father's. Our butler, Klein, informed me that he requested me. As I walked, I was having memories of the battle of Beacon. One of them stood out to me though.

Satoshi…

I looked down as I remembered all the times that we would hang out and all the times we would playfully fight. And then… that woman. What she did to him…

"Good afternoon, sister." I looked in front of me to see Whitley. "It is a pleasure to see you out of your room for a change."

"Hello, Whitley. You're in a cheery mood today." I said.

"Klein made crepes for breakfast."

But he seemed too happy.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"I heard Father shouting with someone in his study earlier."

"Mother?" I asked.

"No, she's already drinking in the garden. I think it was a man." Whitley said. "I just wanted to warn you. I heard he had asked to speak with you."

"I'll be fine."

"I know you will. You are strong, like Winter." Whitley said.

"You never liked Winter." I said.

"True, but you can't deny her resolve."

"You… seem different." I said.

"And you've been gone. I'll have you know I didn't stop growing while you were away at Beacon."

Whitley turned and walked away. "Anyway, good luck with Father!"

"Thank you." I said as he left.

 **Pov change: Ruby**

 _"Do you believe in destiny?"_

 _"Yes."_

 _"Jaune?"_

 _"PYYRRHAAAAA!"_ I yelled.

I gasped as I opened my eyes. I saw my red sleeping bag and looked at the others. Nora and Ren were also in sleeping bags around the long burned-out campfire. I looked at Ryuki's spot and saw she was gone.

"Ryuki?" I whispered.

I looked around and saw she was gone.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

I walked until I found a spot far away from the others when I pulled out my scroll and a piece of paper. It had Satoshi's handwriting. I opened it as I opened the scroll and clicked on the video dated three days before the attack. The video opened up to show Satoshi.

'Hey sis. I hope that this message reaches you. I… I wanted to make this video in case something… happened.' I saw the black lines. On his arms move around. 'The pain is getting worse… but you wanna know something? When we were together on the streets and in beacon and when I was with Yang, I never had these.' He showed the black lines. 'Which made me think… no matter how much I hated those who hated us, you always were the one to make me happy, even if I didn't show it. And that leaves me with my one regret… I regret not telling you that I love you enough. I'm s… I'm sorry.'

I watched as I felt the sting of my tears go down my face. I heard his tv make a noise and he turned to look at it.

'Looks like Yang is up. Gotta go… I love you. I put something in your bag before I left by the way. Hope you read it.' He said as the recording ended.

I cried as I held the scroll close to me. I looked at the open letter and read it again.

' _Ryuki,_

 _This might be the first time I've done something like this. Probably because I felt that there was no reason to make one. But now I think is the perfect opportunity to write how I feel. Over the seventeen years, almost eighteen years, you and I have been through a lot. And throughout these seventeen years, I have had one regret, and that was that I never reminded you how proud I am of you or how much I love you. You always saw the world in a way that I refused to see it. You made friends with people and even started dating a person you truly love. If I had the chance to start over, I would not change a damn thing. You are a bright light in a world of darkness and everyday I saw you smile, I felt that light get a bit brighter. I can tell that you are going to go far in this life, and no matter what… if something happens to either of us, know that I will always be by your side just as you have been by mine. I love you._

 _Your brother,_

 _Satoshi Suni'_

I pulled the paper close to me and closed my eyes.

I can see the smile on his face when he was with me. The happiness in his eyes when he was with Yang. I opened my eyes to see my new dagger in my hand. I slowly moved it towards my wrist and felt the cold metal. I looked at the my armor and unhooked it, taking away my aura.

 **Pov change: Ruby**

I was about to call out to Ryuki as I followed the path that was recently made. That's when I saw her. I was about to call out to her when I saw her press her dagger against her hand. I knew exactly what she was doing.

I used my semblance to rush over and hit the blade out of her hand.

She stood up and stared at me.

"Are you crazy?!" I asked.

She looked down.

"Answer me!" I was on the verge of tears.

I then saw the paper next to her and a finished video of Satoshi smiling. I understood what was happening.

"Ryuki I… I understand-"

Ryuki stomped her foot, gaining my attention.

'No, you don't. Your mother might be dead, but you weren't the one that killed her. My brother begged me to kill him…' Ryuki's sign language turned into a garbled mess as she began to cry again. She lifted her hands up and cried even more.

I walked up and hugged her.

She wrapped her arms around me and used my shoulder as a sponge for her tears. After a few minutes, she leaned back and looked at me.

'I'm sorry.' She said.

"You don't have to apologize. Just promise you won't try that again. I love you, and just the thought of something happening to you… I can't." I said.

Ryuki nodded and kissed my cheek.

"We should get back before they look for us." I said.

Ryuki nodded again and stood up with me. She walked over to the dagger and picked it up.

'I will try… for you.' Ryuki said as she put the dagger away.

I smiled and walked over to hold her hand as we walked back.

 **Later**

When we got back, Nora was awake.

"GOOD MORNING TEAM RNJR!" Nora said loudly.

"What were you two up to?" Jaune asked as he rubbed his eyes.

"Just talking about some stuff." I said.

Ryuki nodded.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

All five of us were walking down the path and Ruby was in charge of the map.

"So the next town is… uh-huh… uh-huh… We're lost." She said.

"We're not lost. The next town is Shion. My family used to visit it all the time." Jaune said.

"Oh yeah. Don't you have, like, four sisters?" Ruby asked.

"Uh, seven." Jaune said.

Ruby laughed at that.

"You know, that actually explains a lot." Nora said.

I started laughing with Ruby.

"Wait, what do you mean?" Jaune asked.

"So, what did you guys do there?"

"Oh, all sorts of stuff! Over here is a great hiking trail, and over here is where we went camping all the time. I got my own tent because I was special. Also, so my sisters would stop braiding my hair." Jaune said.

"Didn't like the look?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah, they just kept doing pigtails, but personally, I think I'm more of a 'warrior's wolftail' kind of guy."

"That's just a ponytail." Ruby said.

"I stand by what I said." Jaune said.

Nora suddenly stopped short, raising her hands to her lips as her eyes widened. Right after, Ren stopped, and was visibly tense.

"Uh, guys?" Nora asked.

"Huh?" Ruby asked.

"What?" Jaune asked.

We saw the destroyed city as smoke rose into the sky. This was fresh… I pulled out my bow and an arrow, ready for a fight.

We ran in and looked at our surroundings.

"There could be survivors!" Ruby said.

"Over here!" Ren yelled.

We ran over to see a huntsman who was badly wounded.

"A Huntsman!" Ruby said.

"What happened? Who killed all these people?" Jaune asked.

"Bandits. The whole tribe… Then, with all the panic…" The huntsman coughed.

"Grimm." Ren said.

I felt my hands shake a bit.

Ren walked away and seemed upset.

"Alright, we can get him to the next village and try to find a doctor there!" Ruby said.

"Yeah. Ren and I can take turns carrying him there." Jaune said.

"I don't know if he'll make it." Nora said.

'He's lost a lot of blood.' I said.

"He will. He has to." Jaune said.

"If we get going now, our chances will be better. I can run ahead and look for help!" Ruby said.

That's when I saw it. As did Ren.

"Guys." Ren said.

The other three turned and see that the Huntsman has already died.

"Should we bury him?" Nora asked.

'It would be the honorable thing to do.' I said.

Ren walked right past us

"We should go. It's not safe here." Ren said.

"Ren…" Nora said as she walked after him.

"It'll be okay." Ruby placed her hand on jaune's shoulder.

"I'm just tired of losing everything." Jaune said.

 **Pov change: Weiss**

"I'm not talking about the good of my company; I'm talking about the good of Atlas, our entire Kingdom!" Father said.

"That is a load of garbage and you know it." I heard Ironwood.

I opened the door and looked in.

"I beg your pardon?!" Father asked.

"Jacques, will you please, just hear me out?" Ironwood asked.

"You are a trusted friend and ally to this family, James, but what you're suggesting is absurd!" Father said.

"You are blowing it out of proportion." Ironwood said.

"The council will never agree to it!"

"You forget, I hold two seats on the council."

"Your Dust embargo has already cost me millions! I can promise you, I have not forgotten! And might I add that you failed to bring me that putrid littl-"

"So this is about you." Ironwood said.

I realized the door shut and looked at the two as they noticed me.

"Miss Schnee! My apologies. I should have been gone by now."

"It-it's okay." I said.

"We'll continue this at another time." Ironwood said.

"Indeed. Klein can show you out."

"Don't worry, I know the way."

I stepped aside so that Ironwood can reach the door. He turned and looked at father.

"Until next time, Jacques." Ironwood said.

Father nodded as Ironwood looked at me.

"Please know, you'll always have a home at Atlas Academy, Miss Schnee. We'll be back in session before you know it." Ironwood said.

Once he left, father spoke.

"Did you forget your manners while you were away?" Father asked.

He turned and walked to his desk. I just sighed.

"No, Father. I'm sorry."

"Can you believe there are still people in the world that blame Atlas for what happened to Beacon? To Vale?"

"Well, they weren't there." I said.

"Not to mention that fact that people believed that we were in charge of that disgusting boy who became that creature." Father sighed.

I got upset but didn't say anything.

"It's a wonder Ironwood wasn't stripped of his rank." Father said.

He finally sat down, having his back to me.

"I suppose the council trusts him, for better or worse."

"I trust him." I said.

Father sighed and turned to me.

"Thanks to him, Atlas is forbidden from exporting Dust to other Kingdoms. 'A precautionary measure,' as he puts it, 'until we're certain no one is going to declare war'. How anyone could possibly find that to be sound logic is beyond me."

"Which is why the Schnee Dust Company will be holding a charity concert in the coming weeks." Father said.

"We need to show the people of Remnant that we are on their side. That we are all victims of the fall of Beacon. That Atlas was not responsible for that awful Grimm boy creature."

I had a memory of Satoshi. When he and Yang were laughing as they were bored in our room during the first semester.

"That's… wonderful news." I lied.

"I know. And I think it would make a lot of people happy if you performed at the event."

"Excuse me?"

"Many forget that you were there. My own daughter, a Schnee, on the grounds, fighting that boy, defending another Kingdom! We need to remind them! And we need to show them that the Schnee family is just as strong as ever!"

"Are you asking me if I'd like to sing, or telling me?"

"I think it would make a lot of people happy." He said.

"I'll start practicing." I sighed.

"That's… my girl." Father said.

As I left, I saw Klein outside with a tray and coffee.

"Hot coffee, Miss Schnee? I always find he keeps his study dreadfully cold."

I took the mug off of the tray and smiled.

"Thank you, Klein."

"You know what I think?" He asked.

Klein lifted the tray to cover his face before dropping it dramatically as he leaned forward toward me making a less-than-formal face, his brown eyes having turned red.

"I think it's to balance out all his hot air." Klein said.

"Klein!" I chuckled.

We chuckled at that and Klein's eyes turned blue and he started sneezing.

"Uh, apologies, madam." Klein said.

Klein pretended to sneeze again. I chuckled merrily, hiding my smile behind my hand. Klein wiggled his mustache and looked up. His eyes turned yellow.

"Ah, there's my happy little snowflake."

"Thank you, Klein." I smiled again.

 **Pov change: Ruby**

"Jaune!"

There was the sound of a sword being drawn.

"Jaune! Jaune!"

I opened my eyes slowly and breathed, letting my eyelids drift shut. I opened my eyes when I heard the voice again.

"Jaune." I heard Pyrrha's voice.

I got up and looked around. I saw Ryuki was up as well, but Nora and Ren were still asleep.

"Alright, Jaune, just like we practiced. Follow these instructions." I heard.

'What is that?' Ryuki asked.

"Follow me." We heard again.

Ryuki and I got up and followed the voice. When we tracked it to its source, we saw… Pyrrha in a way.

'Alright, Jaune, just like we practiced. Follow these instructions. Shield up.' Pyrrha said over the scroll.

Jaune, who was awake, lifted his shield so that only his eyes up are not protected.

'Keep your grip tight.'

Jaune tightened his hand on his sword.

'Don't forget to keep your front foot forward.'

'Ready? Go.'

Jaune stepped forward with the sword, cutting at the air and making a fighting cry.

'Again!'

Jaune moved forward with his other foot, again slashing the air and releasing a cry.

'And again.'

I looked at Ryuki as she looked at me. We looked back at jaune as he was breathing heavily.

'Okay. Now hehehe assuming you aren't cheating, we can take a break.'

Jaune stood upright and let his head fall forward a bit, closing his eyes.

'I know this can be frustrating…'

Jaune turned toward Pyrrha's image on the Scroll.

'...and it can feel like so much effort to progress such a small amount, but I want you to know that I'm proud of you. I've never met someone so determined to better themselves. You've grown so much since we started training. And I know this is just the beginning.'

Pyrrha turned her head, struggling with her thoughts for a moment.

'Jaune, I-I…'

'I want you to know that I'm just happy to be a part of your life. I'll always be here for you, Jaune.'

The Scroll rewound the video of Pyrrha without being touched. Jaune stood before it his head bowed.

'Alright, Jaune, just like we practiced. Follow these instructions. Shield up.'

Jaune sighed before belatedly re-following the instructions.

'Keep your grip tight. Don't forget to keep your front foot forward. Ready? Go.'

Jaune resumed the exercise. Ryuki and I watched a bit longer before turning away.

Before we made it back to camp, Ryuki stopped me.

"Huh?" I looked at her.

She pointed at the sky and I saw the will-o-wisps all around us.

"Wow…" I said.

I looked at Ryuki and she stared at me.

'Thank you. For saving me.' Ryuki said.

I leaned in and we kissed.

"Let's go to bed." I said.

Ryuki nodded and we went back to the camp.


	41. Chapter 41

**Pov: Blake**

I rested my hands on the rail and stared out at the ocean. Memories of the battle went through my head. The mechs, Penny, Pyrrha, Satoshi… Yang. I heard something and nervously looked over my right shoulder, somewhat startled. Two kids were laughing over a joke. I half smiled and turned to look back at the ocean.

"Travelling alone?"

I quickly pulled out my weapon and aimed it when I saw it was the captain.

"Now, now, no threat here. Just here to chat." The captain said.

"And why is that?" I asked.

The Captain lowered his arms and then twisted to lean idly onto the rail.

"Well, not many people travel by boat on their own. It can be quite a lonely voyage. But I found those that do tend to have the more… interesting stories."

I turned away from the Captain.

"Maybe it's just… better for some people to be alone."

The two kids ran behind me, laughing as I gasped again, not expecting the noise behind me. I turns and blinked at them, trying to stay calm.

"Maybe, but with your paranoia, I think a few friendly faces wouldn't hurt." The captain said.

"Who says I'm paranoid?!" I asked.

"No one, dear, no one. I'll leave you be." He laughed before he began walking away. "But uh, fair warning: these trips can be awfully boring."

Once I saw that he was gone, I turned and looked at the ground for a few seconds before reaching up and undoing my bow. I held the ribbon out over the railing.

"Won't be needing this." I said as I let go.

I watched as the ribbon swirled in the air once before landing on the water. After that, I turned and walked away.

 **Pov change: Yang**

I was sitting on my couch at home. I looked at the books next to me, but decided to turn on the tv instead. The tv showed Professor Goodwitch unsuccessfully piecing together a building. Across the bottom of the screen, it read: BEACON INACCESSIBLE.

'...with no end in sight. Try as they might, the local Huntsmen and Huntresses can't seem to get a hold of the situation at Beacon Academy.' The reporter said.

I clicked the remote and read the next headline.

'CCT Repairs "Underway. The subheading reads: Atlas officials working on solution, but not optimistic.'

'...though the fail safes have supported wireless communication within the kingdom, the loss of the CCT Tower continues to prevent contact with the outside world. Talks with Atlas officials regarding repairs have so far—'

I clicked the next one.

'Sending Citizens Home. Fear of human Grimm?'

'...Vale council voted this week to continue to ban any air traffic that does not have a direct correlation with evacuation. The council said that the possibility of another human Grimm is 'not possible yet a concern'. The council has also made it clear that they feel—"

I clicked the remote again angrily. My eyes widened as I sat up.

'Multiple rumors continue to circulate as to who was behind the attacks at the Vytal Festival Tournament. WHITE FANG MEMBER, ADAM TAURUS, PRESENT DURING BEACON GRIMM ATTACK.' While no one knows for sure, officials have confirmed that high-ranking White Fang member, Adam Taurus…'

An image of Adam appeared on the screen.

'...was present for the attack. Any and all attempts to bring him into custody have been met with brutal force—"

I turned the news off and sat there, holding the remote, as the door clicked open.

"I'm home!" I heard behind me

I set the remote down and leaned backward on the couch, looking up at dad.

"Hey, Dad." I said.

"Guess what came in today!" Dad seemed happy.

The door shut behind him as he walked into the living room.

"What?" I asked.

"I can't wait for you to try this." Dad said.

He walked into the other room to unload. While on the couch, I was somewhat interested. Dad returned, carrying one long white box. He set it on the coffee table in front of me, revealing the Atlas symbol on it. I looked at it but didn't move.

"Well?" He asked.

"It's… for me?" I asked.

"For you and you only." Dad said.

I lifted the lid off the box to reveal a robotic right arm. I look3d it over, somewhat amazed while dad watched. I blinked before my eyes drooped a bit. If anything, I felt more distressed than pleased.

"Brand new, state of the art Atlas tech. You know, I thought I was gonna have to pull some strings, call in a few favors, but you earned this one all on your own, kiddo."

"Huh?"

"Before I could even talk to him, General Ironwood already had one of his top scientists working on this, for you. He wanted me to tell you that you fought admirably. You should be proud of yourself. He also… apologizes for… well."

I looked up at dad but said nothing.

"Well? You going to try it on?" Dad changed the subject.

"I uh… I'm not feeling too great right now. Maybe later?" I asked.

I could tell that dad was a bit sad about that but he seemed to understand.

"Well, alright." He said.

I got up and began walking up the stairs, dad giving me an encouraging smile as I passed him. I paused partway up the steps, turning towards his direction.

"Thanks, Dad." I said as I continued up the stairs.

 **Later**

I was sweeping the porch. I paused to wipe my brow and sighed. I stared towards the path I have taken everyday. I walked down the path and made it to my destination.

"…hey Satoshi." I said to the tombstone.

I walked up next to it and sat down next to it.

"Dad brought me an new arm. I bet that you would have loved to see it. Ruby is still gone. I hope she's okay… she has Ren, Nora, and Jaune. You know she never told me why she did it. Why she had to… why? Why did she have to kill you? WHY?" I yelled at the tombstone.

Silence.

I inhaled and exhaled as I sighed. I pulled out my scroll and went to the marked category. I saw the video dated three days before the attack and played it.

'Well I can't say that I did not say break a leg while you were fighting. Hehehe. Too soon? Maybe, but oh well. You were amazing out there. Just as amazing as you are with everyone. Yang, when you came to me, I was not in the mood whatsoever of trusting people. But you… you saved me. And that is something that I will always love about you. And that's why I love you. Perhaps it'll be better if I call you. I'll do that instead but send this anyways.' I watched Satoshi as he stopped the recording.

I wiped my eyes and began to chuckle.

"I still remember what you said that day. We were gonna go out to that club in downtown. The one with the DDR machine. And then… that woman, and Adam… and Ryuki. I know that she had a reason… but I'm just upset that it happened anyways…"

I looked at the sky and saw it was getting late in the day. I reached into my pocket and pulled out something and placed it on the grave. I opened my hand to see the two tickets to the club.

"I have to go. I'll be back tomorrow. I love you." I leaned in and kissed the tombstone before getting up and walking home. When I got home, I grabbed the mail out of the mailbox and walked in.

 **Later**

I was in the kitchen, rinsing a glass. As I lifts it out of the sink, it slipped out of my fingers as I gasped

When it hit the floor and breaks, it triggered a flashback. Against blackness there was a gray slash and the red markings from Adam's mask glow while the sound of a sword loudly resonates. I then heard Satoshi screaming, causing me rear back with a cry.

I held the countertop and pants, hyperventilating from the nightmare.

My fist came down against the countertop, and I felt myself get under control.

"Satoshi…" I whispered as I put my hand on my heart.

 **Pov change: Blake**

It was starting to become dusk as the boat continued its journey on the smooth water. There was a peaceful bird cry, and I was once again on the middle deck looking out at the ocean. A Faunus couple walk behind me as I watched them, feeling slightly less twitchy than before.

Suddenly I felt myself being watched. I turned to see a hooded figure, and I immediately took out my weapon.

"Who's there?!" I asked.

The hooded figure turned and ran off. I stared up at the deck, no longer watching the ocean. However, I was interrupted when I felt the boat rocking on a wake and tried to keep my balance.

A giant long dragon like Grimm loomed over me as I turns around to face the water.

"RED ALERT!" A crew member yelled.

The alert immediately sounded.

"By the gods…" the captain said as we saw the creature.

The giant Grimm roared at the ship.

"All hands to battle stations!" The captain yelled.

"Sir, we've never fought a Grimm this big!" The crew member said.

"We've never seen something this big! But we'll give 'er a fight nonetheless!" The captain said.

I sprung into action, running off the boat and jumping into the air. I creates one of my clones to give me added upward momentum, flinging my weapon forward in its blade form. Attached to the ribbon on her wrist, it embeds itself into the Grimm's neck.

I swung above the Grimm and shot it in the back of its neck. It roared in response. I landed on the crow's nest while the Captain steered from the bridge.

He kept the ship stabilized in the Grimm's wake and stepped outside to get another look at it. I still shot it while it went back into the water. The side of the ship opened up and the cannons came out.

I continued my assault on the sea creature, once again swinging and shooting. The ship's cannons fire but are mostly ineffective. I fell back onto the ship's deck, landed on my back, bounces, and quickly got myself back onto my feet. I discovered that my left shoulder was hurt when I moved to stand.

"Hold steady men, it's not done with us yet! GET THE HEAVY CANNON LOADED!" The captain said.

I saw the largest cannon on the ship rise up through a trapdoor on the deck, extended itself, and aimed at the Grimm. The Grimm's dorsal fin split apart and extra bone unfolds, revealing two wings. The dragon let out a roar as it flew up, its beating wings sending a gush of air at the ship. I cried out as I hung on with my hurt left arm.

"Heavy cannon, OPEN FIRE!" The captain yelled.

The heavy cannon shot, but the Grimm easily evaded it. It opened its mouth and an electric ball formed.

I readied to launch myself at it, but out of nowhere, the hooded figure landed on my head and used me as a launch pad.

"Hey!" I yelled.

The figure grabbed the cloak and it fell back, revealing…Sun?! As he was in the air, he activated his energy clones.

"Sun?!" I asked.

Sun and his clones landed on the Grimm's head. The two clones pulled on the topmost tendrils of the head while Sun grabbed its upper lip.

"Not today, pal!" Sun yelled.

As the dragon released its electric blast, it harmlessly went into the air.

"What are you doing?!"

From atop the enraged Grimm's snout, Sun answered me while holding onto the two tendrils his now-disappeared clones had grabbed.

"Oh, uh, you know, just… hanging out!" Sun said.

The Grimm managed to get a small electrical charge around Sun and he let go and was shouting as he fell.

"Whoa-oa!" Sun yelled.

I immediately sprung into action again. I jumped onto and off the railing, using the hook form of my weapon on the crow's nest to swing myself around and catch Sun midair. We landed on the nearby rocks, with me holding him bridal style.

"My hero!" Sun said.

"You're not supposed to be here!" I said.

"Yeah!? Well it looks like you can use all the help you can get."

I glared at him and then rolled my eyes.

"Ugh. Just shut up and fight!" I said as I dropped Sun.

I ran towards the ship in the water, where the Grimm was firing electric blasts at it. Sun was on the ground, striking a pose on his side with his hand propping up his head.

"Yes, ma'am!" Sun said.

I got on the deck and prepared to counter a hit from the Grimm's electric blast, but Sun jumped in between with a laugh of triumph. He used his nunchuck pistols to deflect it and landed on the heavy cannon, resting his staff on his shoulder with a crooked grin.

"Huntsmen!"

Sun and I turn to the captain who has come out onto the upper deck calling them.

"If you can clip its wings and draw it out towards the bow, we could take it!" The captain said.

I turned away from the Captain to look up at Sun.

"I mean, you're the one with the swords." Sun said.

"Ugh." I groaned.

Sun spun his weapon back into a holstered position and ran towards the Grimm.

"Now or never!" Sun yelled.

Sun activated three clones and jumped into the air. The first clone sprung me upward to the second clone, which did the same. The third clone swung me up. Sun waited, laughing and opened up his arms, but then losed his smile in confusion.

"Huh?"

I, instead of heading toward him, directed myself above him and landed on his shoulders. We sunk a few feet while he grunted and Blake leapt upward off of him. High above the Grimm, I began my descent, avoiding the electric blasts it shot at me. I ran down its right wing, slicing through the thin membrane. As I fell, I felt Sun catch me. The impact caused the rock surface to crack around us while he's left holding me bridal style. I smiled at him, until he spoke.

"This is the part where you say it."

"Ugh." I groaned.

The Grimm moved around us, causing the precarious rocky area to collapse. I was on the move again, leaving Sun behind.

"Okay, maybe later!" Sun said.

Sun jumped off the collapsing rock. The Grimm flew after us, knocking rocks down as it went.

Sun continued to hop around, avoiding the Grimm's attacks until one more move put him directly in front of its open mouth. I swung in on my ribbon and got him out of reach. The Grimm prepared a blast to get us both in one shot when it was impaled by the bowsprit of the boat.

"Fire!" The captain yelled.

The heavy cannon fired and hit the Grimm dead on. Its upper half was blasted to pieces, and it dies immediately. The Captain and his crew all cheered. The cheer was upheld by the passengers on the ship who also joined in with applause. On our rock, Sun celebrated while I smiled and lowered my head in relief.

"Haha! Up top!" Sun lifted his hand.

I turned and glared at him.

"Eh?" Sun asked.

With a cry, I swung my arm around to slap him in the face.

 **Later**

It was nighttime on the middle deck of the ship. I was at the railing again, only this time facing sideways.

"Seriously, it was no big deal!" I heard Sun.

Sun was talking to two of the Faunus passengers.

"Just enjoy the rest of your trip and everything will be cool! We got this!" Sun said.

The two Faunus, a male with horns and a female with rabbit ears, waved goodbye and turn away. Sun strutted over to me.

"You'd think they'd never seen a fight before." Sun said.

"What are you doing here, Sun?" I asked.

"Diggin' the new outfit, by the way! Never did like the bow." He pointed at my ears.

"Sun!" I said angrily.

"Geez!" Sun said.

"Have you been following me?!" I asked.

"I saw you run off. The night Beacon Tower fell. Once we landed in Vale, you made sure everyone was okay. And then you just took off, without saying anything."

"I had to. You wouldn't understand."

"No, I get it! The moment you left, I knew exactly what you were doing!"

I couldn't help but smile at him, pleased at feeling understood.

"You're going on a one-woman rampage against the White Fang!" Sun said;

My happy expression fell.

"What?" I asked.

"You always felt like the Fang was your fight. They show up, trash your school, hurt your friends… some more than others." Sun looked down, but quickly perked up. "It makes perfect sense!"

"I can't believe you." I said.

"But there's no way I'm letting you do this alone! It's an honorable approach, for sure, but you're going to need someone to watch your back. And that's where I come in!" He put his arm around me. "Us Faunus got to stick together, after all."

"You're wrong, Sun." I pushed him off. "You're so, so wrong."

I turned my back on him and walked away.

"What are you..."

"I'm not going anywhere near the White Fang. Not yet." I said.

"Seriously?" Sun asked.

"I need to sort some things out."

"Then why not do it with your team? Your friends?" Sun asked.

"You're one to talk! Assuming Neptune, Sage, and Scarlet aren't hiding below deck!"

"You really think I could get Neptune on the ocean? They flew back to Mistral! I told them I'd catch up! It's not the first time I left them to take a boat! So, if you're not going after the White Fang, where are you going?"

"Home, to Menagerie."

"Well, I'm coming with you. The Grimm are getting worse; you saw it yourself! And just because you're not going after the Fang doesn't mean they won't be coming for you! Besides, I'm… kind of already on the boat."

"There's really no stopping you?" I asked.

"Nope! This is going to be great! Never been in Menagerie before! It'll be a regular journey to the east! Yeah, I like the sound of that."

I sighed and looked at the moon and it's many pieces.

"Any idea how team STRS is… or what's left of it?" I asked.

"From what I heard, Tatsumi and Sydney went back to Tatsumi's home kingdom, Haven. And Ryuki… well, she took Satoshi and buried him near Ruby's place." Sun said.

I lowered my head.

"Whoever did that to him…?" I looked at Sun.

"I don't know." Sun said.

 **Pov change: Salem**

Inside my meeting room, Cinder and I sat alone at the table. Mercury and Emerald were waiting by the door. Cinder was breathing heavily while I had my right hand held out.

"Do you feel it? Don't fight it, girl. It can sense your trepidation. You must make it dread you." I said.

A soft clicking sound made Cinder turn towards the door. The door opened and my Seer appeared.

Emerald and Mercury reacted fearfully to it and pulled back as it entered. It glided its way over to me at the head of the table. Once the Seer reached my side, I leaned closer to it. After a moment, I put my hands together.

"Cinder, I am going to ask you this one more time, and I expect a clear answer. Did you kill Ozpin?" I asked.

Cinder held her arm out, about to call Emerald over to speak for her. I slammed both hands onto the table, eyes glowing as I spoke.

"No!"

Cinder lowered her arm.

"I want to hear you say it." I said.

"…Yes." Cinder said.

I looked at her for a long moment before speaking.

"Reinforce our numbers at Beacon. The Relic is there." I said.

The Seer glided away. At the door, Emerald and Mercury drew away from it just as they did before. I turned my head thoughtfully, looking in the direction away from Cinder and bringing my fingers to my chin.

"What are you planning?" I asked.

The doors opened and Watts came in.

"Mistress, I am pleased to announce that our newest creation is complete." He said.

I stood up and walked over to him.

"Show me."

 **Later**

I walked alongside watts as he opened the door to show a magnificent display. A boy, pale with black lines surging all around his body and two Grimm eyes was screaming in agony before lowering his head and staring at me.

I walked up and stroked his cheek.

"Hello Satoshi." I said.

I turned around and walked past Watts.

"Give him one more day before releasing him to go after the twin." I said.

"As you wish." Watts said as he turned on the electricity.

"RRRRRRRAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!" I smirked as I heard the screams.


	42. Chapter 42

**Pov: Oscar**

I carried a pitchfork into the barn. I passed the sink with a mirror behind it, but something made me pause and take a closer look. However, I only saw my own reflection and lifted a lock of my hair.

I leaned forward and examined the mirror more closely.

"Hello?" I asked.

Just as I was about to back away when a voice boomed out, sending me crashing backward.

'Hello! I'm Professor Ozpin!'

I looked up at the sink and mirror from the floor of the barn, breathing heavily. From outside the barn, I heard my aunt's voice.

"Oscar? You be careful with those tools!" I heard.

 **Pov change: Yang**

I was inside one of my many nightmares. All around me were broken pieces of buildings and darkness. I looked around, confused, and was beginning to hyperventilate when I looked down. I raised both of my arms and turned them, examining their presence, particularly my right arm.

I looked up to see Satoshi lying against a wall with an arrow in his chest.

"Satoshi!" I yelled as I ran up to him.

He coughed up some blood and stared at me.

"…Yang?" He asked.

"I'm here." I said.

"Y-Yang?" Suddenly he turned to ash in front of me.

"No… NO!" I yelled.

I felt something behind me. I turned to see Adam Taurus walking toward me. I stepped back defensively and saw that I was wearing my gauntlets. I shot at him multiple times, but they did nothing to him while he steadily continued walking closer. Adam put his right hand on the handle of his sword. I tried to attack him again, but my weapon was gone, as was my arm. I stared at it for a moment in confusion and disbelief and was startled when Adam was directly in front of her. He grinned at me and started to unsheath his sword.

I woke up and gasped. I realized that I was is in my room, lying on top of my bed. I saw the robotic arm given to me by General Ironwood rested on my bedside table, out of the box. I looked at it for a moment before turning away. I looked at the path and felt my heart ache again. That's when I started to hear laughter coming from downstairs.

I walked downstairs to discover Professors Oobleck and Port sitting at the kitchen table and laughing with dad.

"And, and, and then, in comes Qrow, wearing a skirt! I was just a TA, I-I didn't know what to do, so I just... I just left the room to laugh!" Port said.

I came to the kitchen door while the three laughed.

"We told him it was a kilt! He'd never worn a uniform before, so he didn't know!" Dad said.

"That is terrible! What is wrong with you!?" Oobleck said.

"Hey! The girls all said he had nice legs! I did that jerk a favor! Besides, that's not even the best part! See, then he-"

Port put his right leg on the tabletop, cutting off dad.

"'Like what you see?'" Port asked.

The three laughed and Port lost his balance. He tried to save himself from falling, but ended up on the floor

After that, there was even more laughter. Dad clapped from mirth and Port joined in the hilarity from the floor. I chuckled too, covering my mouth, but the three had already become alerted to my presence. Oobleck stood while Port got up off the floor.

"Oh, uh, Miss Xiao Long! Uh, please, join us." Port said.

I entered while Oobleck chuckled a little bit out of embarrassment.

"Oh, yes, yes, pull up a chair. Please, pull up a chair." Oobleck said.

"I'm good." I said as I hoisted myself backward up onto the kitchen counter, beside dad. Port and Oobleck sat back down.

"So, what are you doing here?" I asked.

"Despite popular belief, teachers do have a life outside the classroom." Oobleck said.

"Professor Goodwitch is working 'round the clock to restore Beacon to its former glory! But, Mistral wasn't built in a day. And we all need rest from time to time." Port said.

"Now look, let's not worry about that right now. So, there we were, standing in the auditorium, looking at Qrow, wearing a skirt. Then Oz tells everyone, 'It's time to work on our landing strategy!'" Dad said.

"The Branwen twins have always been... interesting, to say the least." Oobleck said.

"That sure didn't seem to stop young Tai." Port said.

"Hey, come on, man, she's right here." Dad said.

"Oh, please! She's a mature young woman! If she can handle combat, she can handle a few jabs at her old man!" Port said.

"That's not the issue, Pete! And besides, she's still a teenager!" Dad said again.

"'She' is also in the room, and can be directly spoken to. And I think I've been through enough to be considered an adult at this point."

"Adult or not, you've still got a long way to go before you're ready for the real world." Dad sighed.

"Oh my gosh! Does every father figure have the same three condescending phrases?" I asked.

"Yeah! But we only use them when we mean it!"

"Is that so?" I asked.

"As a matter of fact, it is so! If you honestly think that you're ready to go out there on your own, ha, well I guess you lost some brain cells along with that arm." Dad said.

I gasped and pulled back from dad's face. There was an awkward silence between all of us.

"You... jerk!" I said as I playfully punched dad, and the two is us laughed together.

"Are we finally talking about the Goliath in the room?" Oobleck asked.

Dad and I looked at each other and then laughed again. We heard laughter comes from both Port and Oobleck.

"Oh, Miss Xiao L— Yang, if you don't mind me asking, why haven't you tried on the arm yet?" Port asked.

"Oh, yes, yes! A piece of Atlas technology given out like that is rare indeed! Not to mention the effort it took to deliver it here. It seems a great many people want to see you returned to normal." Oobleck said.

"I'm... scared." I said.

Dad took a step closer to me, watching and listening.

"Everyone keeps talking about me getting back to normal. And I appreciate it, but... this is normal now. The same with Satoshi. As much as I hate to admit it… he's gone… and I can't bring him back. And that's the new normal now." I looked at my arm.

Oobleck and Port exchanged sad, knowing glances.

"It's just taking me a while to get used to it."

"Well, normal is what you make of it." Dad said.

"What is that supposed to mean? Do you want me to just pretend like nothing happened? Satoshi is gone. I lost a part of me. A piece of me is gone. And they're never coming back."

"You're right. They're not coming back. But that doesn't have to stop you from becoming who you wanna be. You're Yang Xiao Long, my sunny little dragon."

Dad put his hand on my shoulder.

"You can do whatever you put your mind to. So whenever you're ready to stop moping, and get back out there, I'll be there for you." Dad said.

"I... I..." I began.

"Fear is like any other emotion. It comes and goes. It's all in how you handle it. Why, even I find myself wrestling with that emotion from time to time." Port said.

"Really? You?" I asked.

"He's afraid of mice." Oobleck said.

"They bring only disease and famine!" Port yelled, pounding on the table.

I laughed while Port ranted about the creepiness of mice.

"And don't even get me started on their tails! So hairless, and simply unnatural!" Port said.

"Port, I assure you, you are safe. There's no mice here right now." Oobleck said.

 **Later**

"Goodnight!" I said.

I walked into my room to see the arm on the bedside table. I looked at it for a moment but then moved to the window when I heard the front door to the house open followed by the voices of the three others. I decided to stand out of sight beside the window and listened.

"Thanks for having us over, Tai." Port said.

"Any time. You're always welcome." Dad said.

"It may be a while before we return. There is still much work to be done at the school." Oobleck said.

"I hesitate to ask, but is there any word from young Miss Rose or miss Suni?" Port asked.

I moved to look out my window.

"Not yet."

"Have you thought about going after her? Trying to bring her home?" Port asked.

"I've got to... look after some things. I have one daughter who ran off with one twin and another who is mourning the other twin."

I saw dad begin to glance towards my bedroom, so I moved out of sight again and squeezes my right upper arm, depressed.

"He wasn't the absolute best, but he was a damned fine student, even with his… disadvantages." Port said.

"It is still a shame that he had to pass so soon." Oobleck said.

"Thanks guys. I'll make sure to tell her that." Dad said.

I looked down and walked away from the window.

 **Pov change: Salem**

I was in the meeting room and saw watts appear with the boy.

"Who are you?" I asked.

The boy grunted. I smiled.

"I have a job for you," I lifted my hand and controlled him, "you are to find Ryuki Suni and bring her to me. Do not let her blood touch yours. Is that understood?"

The boy grunted and bowed.

"Take him to Tyrian, I'm sure that he will enjoy the company." I said as I pulled out a book.

"Very well mistress." Watts said as he left.

I opened the book and read the legend even more.

'Should the girl succeed in killing the boy, his soul shall be tainted and refused entry into the great beyond. Should the two reunite, and she is able to get her blood into him, his soul shall be purified and he shall be brought back to his normal state.'

I gritted my teeth at the change in text and threw the book.

"Ozpin…" I said angrily.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

On the path through the woods, Team RNJRR moved forward with Ruby looking at a map, correctly this time.

"Come on, guys! If we pick up the pace, we can hit the next town before sunset!"

"Assuming it's still there." Jaune said.

I looked at jaune as he seemed depressed. I had a feeling as to what it was about.

"Of course it'll be there. This one's supposed to be pretty big! Hee-gan...bayn-a." Ruby said.

"Higanbana. It's a well protected village with a popular inn." Ren said.

"Which means, no camping in the rain!" Nora said.

'A bed sounds so good right now.' I said.

"See? Everything's going to be fine!" Ruby said.

"You know, we've had a lot of ups and downs. But things could be a lot worse. I really thought we'd see more Grimm." Jaune said.

"As did I." Nora said.

'As did I.' I said.

"I guess our luck is finally turning around!" Nora said. "To Higanbana!"

"To Higanbana!" Jaune and Ren said.

"To Higanban... ban-a!" Ruby said.

I rolled my eyes and walked alongside her, holding her hand.

 **Later**

It was raining at the village of Higanbana. We discussed two big rooms. One for the remainder of team JNPR and one for Ruby and I. We really didn't want to speak as much as we wanted to sleep. So we plopped ourselves on the bed and fell asleep.

 **Pov change: Qrow**

I watched as the kids found a room from the bar across the path when a waitress set a glass with liquor and ice in front of me.

"Oh, I didn't o—"

"From the woman upstairs. Red eyes. Said you wouldn't mind bottom shelf."

I turns and looked up before looking back at the drink.

"Thanks." I said.

"But I went ahead and gave you top. Lucky you." She winked.

I watched as she walked away with a smirk on my face. I looked at the drink.

"Yeah."

I took my glass and headed upstairs. Raven waited for me at one of the tables, her mask on it.

"Hello, brother." She said.

I stared at her from the top of the stairs for a moment before moving to her.

"Raven." I said.

I pulled the chair that's beside her and dragged it across from her instead. With my hand on the back of the chair, I simply looked at her expectantly. Raven rolled her eyes and moved her mask to the side. I then sat down.

"So, what do you want?" I asked.

"A girl can't just catch up with her family?"

"She can, but you're not. Now how 'bout we get on with it? Unless you plan on keeping these comin'." I said.

I set the glass down.

"Does she have it?" Raven asked.

I didn't want to answer her right away, instead I ran my fingertip along the edge of my glass.

"Did you know Yang lost her arm?" I asked.

"That's not—"

"Rhetorical question, I know you know. It's just obnoxious that you'd bring up family and then carry on like your own daughter doesn't exist." I said.

"I saved her." Raven said.

"Once. Because that was your rule, right? Real "Mom of the Year" material, sis." I said.

Raven leaned forward and grabbed me by the forearm, stilling my sarcastic, nonchalant motions.

"I told you Beacon would fall and it did. I told you that the twin would change and he did. I told you Ozpin would fail and he has. Now you tell me. Does. Salem. Have it?" Raven asked.

"I thought you weren't interested in all of that." I said.

"I just want to know what we are up against."

"And which 'we' are you referring to?" I asked.

Raven glared and finally let go of me and sat back down with a noise of disgust.

"You should come back, Raven. The only way we'd beat her is by working together. All of us." I said.

"You're the one who left. The tribe raised us, and you turned your back on them." Raven said.

"They were killers and thieves."

"They were your family."

"You have a very skewed perception of that word."

Raven stood up, upset.

"I lead our people now. And as leader, I will do everything in my power to ensure our survival." Raven said.

"I saw. The people of Shion saw, too."

"The weak die, the strong live. Those are the rules." Raven said.

"Well, you've certainly got someone strong on your side. I've seen the damage."

"We couldn't have known the Grimm would set in as quickly as they did." Raven turned away.

"I'm not talking about the Grimm." I said.

Still not facing me, Raven looked up, eyes widening slightly at my words.

"And I'm not talking about you, either."

"If you don't know where the Relic is, then we have nothing left to talk about." Raven said.

As she reached for her mask, I grabbed onto the top of it.

"I don't know where the Spring Maiden is, either, but if you do, I need you to tell me."

"And why would I do that?" Raven yanked it away.

"Because without her, we're all going to die."

"And which 'we' are you referring to?" Raven scoffed.

I grimaced as Raven walked away. She activated her portal and walked through. The sound of breaking glass and a gasp, I turned to see the waitress, trembling at the sight of Raven disappearing. She takes a cautious step backward as she looked at me.

"Make this one a double." I said.

 **Pov change: Yang**

I got up and walked over to the arm and looked at it.

"I gotta do this… I gotta do this…"

I reached towards the arm and grabbed it.

 **Outside**

I walked out to see dad was watering the flowers when he saw me and my new addition. He smiled.

"Okay. Let's get started." Dad said.


	43. Chapter 43

**Pov: Blake**

We heard the air horn sound loudly. We were home. The town had many small buildings and homes set among the dunes and the palm trees. I could even hear the town bell.

Sun and I made our way from the deck to the offramp. I proceeded while Sun stopped to look at the town.

"Huh." Sun said.

"I've never seen so many Faunus in one place!" Sun said.

"This is the one place everyone can feel safe, no matter who or what they are." I said.

"Wow, sure is, uh, crowded, huh?"

"Yes. Yes, it is." I said.

"Is it always so... cramped?" Sun asked.

"Well, when you try and take an entire species and put them on an island that's two-thirds desert, yeah, it tends to be cramped."

"What! You guys have that much more space? Why waste it? A little desert never hurt anyone!"

"It's not like the desert in Vacuo, Sun. The wildlife here is more dangerous than most other regions." I said.

"So, they give us a terrible island, in the corner of Remnant, to try and shut us up."

"That's a pretty good summary, yeah."

"Huh. Jerks."

"We try to make the best of things." I said.

The two of us paused in our walk to look at the view of the town the road ahead.

"Whoa..."

"This, is Kuo Kuana." I said.

"It's... beautiful. I take it all back. This place looks great! Why would anyone ever want to leave?" Sun asked.

"That's not the point, Sun! We asked to be equal, to be treated just like everyone else! Instead, we were given an island and told to make do. So we did the best we could. We came together and we made a home where any Faunus could feel welcome. But this island, this town, will always be a reminder that we're still not equal. That we're still second-class citizens."

"Well, hey, this guy's feeling pretty at home." Sun said.

"Alright, time to go home." I said.

"Oh yeah? Which one's yours? Can you see it from here?" Sun used his free hand like a visor to help him peer at the houses.

"Kind of." I said.

"Is it that one? What about that tiny one down there? I like the paintjob." Sun said.

I took sun's hand and guided him to the right one.

"It's... that one." I said.

Sun stared for a second before pointing his finger at me with a questioning expression. I nodded. Sun looked at me for a beat before taking his arm off me and stepping back. He covered the sides of his head and crouched a bit, staring wide-eyed at the house and making a comical, amazed noise.

Sun and I walked up the stone steps to the front door of the house. I hesitated when I moved to use the knocker.

"What is it?" Sun asked.

"I um... it's just been a long time since I've seen my parents." I said.

"Well, you came all this way."

I took a quick breath for courage and banged the door knocker. It made a loud, heavy, resonating sound on the large door. Sun stared up, stepping back while I backed away from the door a few paces.

"Okay, if we're being honest, that's kind of intimidating." Sun said.

Both Sun and I gave a start at the sound of the door being opened. Then I saw mom was behind it, looking at the new visitors. Her ears perked and she moved the door out of the way so she can step forward when she recognized me.

"…Blake?" Mom asked.

"Hi, mom." I said awkwardly.

Mom stepped forward and hugged me.

"My baby girl."

I hesitated, uncertain for a moment, before my face changed into a smile and I hugged mom back.

We heard the booming voice of dad and we let go to see him.

"Kali? Who is it?" He asked.

Dad stood with his hands on his hips, waiting to greet us. His quizzical expression changed to wide-eyed surprise and had an emotional reaction to the sight of me home.

Sun saw this and grinned, pleased at my welcome as he turned to look at how I was taking it. I had my hands clasped in front of me, awaiting dad's reaction. Mom has not let go, with her hands supportively on my shoulder and arm.

Dad said nothing, but smiled, clearly happy. I smiled back, relieved. Sun and I exchanged sideways glances.

 **Later**

Mom set down her cup on the table. She, dad, Sun and I all sat on the floor at a square table.

"We were horrified when we heard the news. The Kingdom of Vale isn't perfect, but it certainly didn't deserve what happened. And when we saw that boy turn…"

"Did you know him?" Dad asked.

"He was my partner's boyfriend and my team leader's girlfriend's twin brother… he didn't deserve what happened to him…" I said.

"Either way…oh, we were both so worried."

"Please, I knew she'd be fine!" Dad said.

"That isn't the slightest bit true. You should have seen him pacing." Mom scoffed.

"You guys have nothing to worry about. I've seen your daughter in action before! And trust me, she's got some moves!" Sun said.

I, who was sipping from her cup while Sun spoke, abruptly lifts my head and swallowed at his last choice of words. Dad glared at the young man on his right.

"And what exactly do you mean by that, Mr. Wukong?" Dad asked.

Sun froze and slowly turned toward dad.

"I... uh, well, you see sir, it's just that, you know, that she's such a good fighter and all, uh, and as a fellow fighter, I have a lot of respect for her..."

"Why is he here again?" Mom asked.

"...And her fighting. But also for her..."

"He just kind of followed me home." I said.

"...because of her fighting. Not her looks. I mean, not to say she's not good-looking. She is! Very! Or..."

"I see." Mom said.

"...slightly, I mean she's definitely above average. I mean, uh..." Sun struggled for words as all three of us watched him and waited for him to either get out of the hole he just talked himself into or keep digging.

In the awkward silence, Sun used his tail to pick up the tea kettle and pour some more tea into his cup.

"This tea is really good. Heh-uh." Sun said.

"I like him." Mom whispered.

"Mom!" I said.

The loud sound of the front door knocker resonated, catching all of our attention.

"Darn it, I completely forgot about the meeting!" Dad said.

Dad hits his fist onto the table and mom quickly covered it with her hand.

"Ghira..." mom said.

"Give me a moment."

He got up and walked out.

"Is everything okay?" I asked.

"Yes, dear, just poor timing. He can reschedule. It's just been hard dealing with them lately." Mom said.

"Dealing with who?"

"Hmm? The White Fang." Mom said.

"WHAT?!" We yelled.

We ran to see dad and two members speaking.

"Dad!" I yelled.

"Blake, what's wrong?" Dad asked.

"Miss Belladonna." One of the members said.

"We had no idea you'd returned." The other member said.

"What are you doing talking to these people?" I asked.

"This is Corsac and Fennec Albain. They represent the White Fang here in Menagerie now." Dad said.

"Those psychos are here, too?!" Sun asked.

"Young man, I'm not sure what you've heard of our organization, but I can assure you, we're not nearly as ferocious as the media would have you believe." Fennec said.

"What we've heard? We've seen firsthand. Your fanatics slaughtered people!" I said.

"What is she talking about?" Dad asked.

"Precisely what we came to discuss with you, Your Grace." Corsac said.

"Is everything alright?" Mom asked.

"Wait, you guys seriously don't know?" Sun asked.

"Know what?" Dad asked.

"The White Fang was at the Fall of Beacon. They attacked innocent civilians and they released Grimm into the school." I said.

Dad slowly faced the two members.

"Is this true?"

"Sadly, Your Grace, it is." Fennec said.

"Don't act like you're s—" I began.

"That's enough! Explain yourselves." Dad said to the brothers.

"Though it pains us to admit, it has become apparent that the Vale branch of the White Fang is no longer operating under orders of High Leader Khan. Rather, they've elected to follow the rule of one Adam Taurus. I believe you're all familiar with the young adept and his... extreme philosophies."

"You know, Beacon wasn't the first time the Fang started shooting up Vale!" Sun said.

"The High Council had their suspicions of a splinter group, but they could prove nothing until this latest incident." Fennec said.

"'Incident'? People are dead!" I said.

"And it is a tragedy." Corsac said.

"Your Grace, we came to assure you that Brother Taurus and his followers do not represent the will of the White Fang." Fennec said.

"And how can I be sure of that?" Dad asked.

"We understand if you bear any skepticism towards these claims. The White Fang's tactics are admittedly, more aggressive since you stepped down as High Leader and became Chieftain of Menagerie. But this, this is no way to make our message heard." Corsac said.

"We have ample documentation from the council meeting, as well as several strategies to apprehend and punish these strays if you care to review them." Fennec said.

"I will, but another day. I'd like some time to reconnect with my daughter." Dad said.

"But of course, Your Grace." Corsac said.

"We completely understand. It was a pleasure to see you again, young Blake." Fennec said.

"We were saddened when we heard of your departure from the White Fang, but understand if you can no longer support our cause." Corsac said.

"It is a wearying fight, after all." Fennec said.

"Who says I'm done fighting?" I asked.

"Hmm... If you ever do wish to return, you need merely come find us." Corsac said.

"Sister Ilia would be elated." Fennel said.

"Goodbye, gentlemen." Dad said as he firmly closed the door on them. Mom moves to stand closer and face dad while I walked off.

"So... those guys were creepy." Sun said.

"I really don't like you." Dad said.

 **Pov change: Possessed Satoshi**

Tyrian and I walked up the steps to see a waitress scrubbing the floor. Tyrian walked up and got her attention.

"Excuse me. I was hoping you could... help me find someone." Tyrian licked his lips. "A girl with a red hood."

"I-I think I saw someone like that leave about three hours ago going east." She said.

"Hehehe excellent. Come on boy." Tyrian said as we began to walk out and ran in the direction she gave.


	44. Chapter 44:authors note

**-Who wants to see Satoshi in the next chapter be cured and be a good guy or escape with Tyrian and become a bad guy?**


	45. Chapter 45

**Pov: Ryuki**

It was quite cloudy today as we were walking on the path. Ruby and I were holding hands while I saw Nora stretch her arms.

"Another day, another adventure!" Nora said.

Beside her, Jaune read the map while Ren and the two of us continued alongside them.

"What's on the agenda today?" Ruby asked.

"Walking!" Jaune said.

"With a side of...?" Nora asked with a bit of optimism.

"Walking." Ren said.

"Haven is a lot farther away than I thought." Ruby sighed.

"Ruby? How long did you think this journey was going to take?" Ren asked.

I looked at Ruby as she spoke.

"I don't know! I grew up in a small area; I've never been this far away from home!" Ruby said.

"Right but… how long?" Jaune asked.

"Maybe like, uh… two weeks?" Ruby said.

"What?!" Jaune asked, shocked at what he just heard.

'You thought that it would take two weeks to get from Patch to Haven.' I said.

"Okay, fine! Three or something! Look, whatever." Ruby said.

Ruby looked up again and seemed to notice something ahead.

"Hey, what's that?" Ruby asked.

Nora jumped onto a slightly fallen post of a fence to get a closer look at the wall and buildings ahead.

"That's… strange. I didn't think we'd be hitting another village for a few days." Jaune checked the map.

"Are those buildings… damaged?" Nora asked.

"We should search for survivors!" Jaune said.

Jaune dropped the map and all five of us ran into the village. Nora leapt onto the wall and to a rooftop from there. I used a rope arrow and fired at the building to rappel up the wall. When we saw the whole town, we discovered the town to be empty. I saw Ruby lift a fallen plank of wood to find only plants outgrowth underneath.

"Anything?" Ruby asked.

"Nothing over here!" Nora yelled.

"No one over here, either!" Jaune said.

I shook my head.

"It almost seems like... the town was abandoned." Ren said.

We all continued to look around when we heard Nora.

"Hey, I think I found something!" Nora said.

We all rushed to Nora. When Ruby and I got there, Nora, Jaune and Ren were looking at a town sign. Nora moved the ivy growing over it to the side to read what it said.

"Oniyuri? Never heard of it." Nora said.

"Me neither." Jaune said.

I just shrugged.

"I have." Ren said.

The four of us look at him in surprise.

"You might think of it as Anima's Mountain Glenn, had it never been completed. Years ago, the richest members of Mistral were unhappy with how the Kingdom was being run. Frustrated with the council, they pooled their resources together to build their own city, with their own laws. They hoped that one day, it could maybe even become its own Kingdom. Many thought it would be the future."

Ren walked away from the rest of us.

"I know my parents did." Ren said.

"What happened?" Ruby asked.

He brushed some dirt off of the stone border of a low wall to reveal claw marks.

"What always happens." Ren said.

"The Grimm." Jaune said.

"Not just any, one." Ren said.

Ruby and I looked at each other before looking at Nora who didn't take her eyes off Ren. Ruby and I turned back to him.

"One?" Ruby asked.

"Come on. Let's just get through here. This place gives me the creeps." Jaune said.

We got up and began to walk out of the town.

 **Pov change: Weiss**

I stood alone on a large, empty stage, singing a wordless aria, my arms outstretched. I stood perfectly positioned below the center of the painted emblem of Atlas that dominated the stage.

"I'm not your pawn, not another thing you own.

I was not born guilty of your crimes.

The riches and your influence can't hold me anymore.

I won't be the monster that you see,

I won't be possessed,

burdened by your royal test.

I will not surrender.

This life is mine."

I concluded my song and bowed while the audience applauds. I looked up to the balcony above stage left where father and Whitley were watching. Father remained seated, not applauding, while Whitley was standing giving a slower paced, sarcastic clap. I looked back at the audience, all clapping still in their seats. I turned and walked backstage, my feigned smile replaced with a frown.

I hated that song.

 **Later**

"Heh. Didn't you enjoy the performance?" I heard.

"Yes, she has a lovely voice."

I stood behind father, looking at the floor with my hands held primly behind my back. Whitley stood similar further behind their father, only his gaze was directly on father.

"That's precisely my point. We offer Faunus the exact same wages given to the rest of our mining staff. Their argument's completely invalid right out of the gate."

"Well, I think the bigger issue here is our society as a whole."

I groaned.

"Why, you mean Atlas?" Father asked.

As they conversed, I looked over to the large painting at the end of the ballroom, depicting Beacon Academy with its Cross Continental Transmit tower still standing.

"Atlas, Mantle... You can't deny the economic disparity between the two."

"I mean, what exactly are you suggesting?" Someone else asked.

I started to step away, only to have my forearm grabbed by father, who didn't even turn around. I halted, startled.

"I'm just saying I don't think it's necessarily an issue of compensation as much as it is one of opportunity…"

"Where are you going?" Father asked.

"I'm… just a little thirsty." I said.

"Sweetheart, we have people for that." Father said.

He let go of Weiss and began to raise his arm to call over a waiter. I stopped him by grabbing his forearm.

"What? No, I can get it. I'll be right back, I promise." I said.

"Look, no one asked them to move here."

"But companies like the SDC promised jobs."

Father looked back at his guests.

"I'm sorry, I tuned out for a second, but sounds like I'm the good guy again?" Father asked.

I moved across the room to look at the painting of Beacon Academy. As I looked at it, I remember everything that happened. The fighting, Tatsumi and Sydney… Satoshi. I barely reached it when a boy spoke to me.

"It's beautiful. You two match." He said.

I stood with my arms crossed, maintaining my cold expression throughout the conversation.

"Yes, it's a lovely painting." I said.

"So, that was my attempt at breaking the ice. How am I doing so far?" He asked.

"You are leaving a lot to be desired."

"Well, I've always appreciated honesty. Henry. Marigold." Henry offered a hand shake.

I turned my head to look at him.

"Weiss Schnee." I said.

"I know, I saw your performance. Obviously. You were wonderful. And I promise I'm not just saying that 'cause you're pretty." He said.

I turned my attention back to the painting, and there is brief silence between the two of us.

"Honesty, remember? So, you thinking about buying it?" Henry asked.

"No. I don't think so." I said.

"Yeah, kinda pricey for a painting." Henry said.

"It's to raise money." I said.

"Oh really? For what?" Henry asked.

"For what? Heheh, I'll admit, I only come to these things for the food and drinks. And the extraordinary company. Of course. So what, is it another Mantle fundraiser or something?" He asked.

I faced him with only anger inside of me.

"Get. Out." I said.

"What?" He asked.

"Get out, or I will have security escort you out."

"But I haven't done any-"

"Leave!" I said with even more anger.

"Pfft, whatever." Henry said.

I watched him walk away, and once he is gone, I turned back to the painting, crossing my arms and closing my eyes. I tried to drown out the voices when I heard a woman speak/

"But really, does it come as any surprise, what happened to Vale?"

I opened my eyes and turned slightly, peering over my shoulder at the woman.

"It was a long time coming, if you ask me." She said.

"Honey..."

"What? Hehehe You said the same thing last night. If they're so arrogant to think they can get by without proper kingdom defense, then I say good riddance. And not to mention that disgusting boy with the Grimm eye. You heard that woman say that he had a sister. I say tat she should be found and kil-"

"Shut up!" I yelled.

The room fell silent, and all of the party goers turned to look at me.

"Weiss?" Father asked.

"You don't have a clue! None of you do!" I said.

"Excuse me?" The woman asked.

"You're all just standing around talking about nothing! Worrying about your hair, your money, your stupid problems that don't mean anything! You didn't know a single thing about Satoshi or Ryuki! Satoshi was a great person who didn't deserve to die like an animal!"

Father quickly approached me.

"Weiss, that's enough." Father said as he grabbed my wrist. I immediately began struggling to pull away.

"Let go of me!" I said.

"You're embarrassing the family!" Father said.

"I said let go!" I yelled as I broke free from father's grasp with a harsh tug, but in the process, losing my balance and collapsing to the floor. Suddenly, a glyph manifested next to me, and a Boarbatusk was summoned. I looks at it with wide eyes, my jaw dropping. The Boarbatusk Summon charged toward the woman.

"Please, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, just leave me alone." She begged.

It leapt toward her and her husband, jaws wide open, but it was shot down by Ironwood before it could reach her.

"Arrest her! What are you waiting for? She's insane, she should be locked up." The woman yelled.

"She's the only one making sense around here. Thanks for the party, Jacques." Ironwood said.

The general casually exited. Still on the floor, I looked up to see father turn to glare at me.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

As the five of us continued out of Oniyuri, Ren suddenly sensed something. He put out his hand to stop us, eyes closed as he focused. I looked at Ruby when Ren drew his weapon. I pulled out my bow as everyone pulled out their weapons as well. Suddenly, a creepy guy leapt high over the wall to engage us in combat.

He immediately to out his weapons in a seamless motion and, laughing eagerly, moves to attack Ruby. I switched my bow into a staff and jumped at him but he quickly dodged. Ren intervened, his weapons clashing with the guy's claw blades. Ren attempted to both kick and shoot the guy, but he dodged. The two had a couple more attacks and parries until the guy kicked Ren several feet away.

I pulled out and arrow and fired at the guy. He quickly dodged and continued to go after Ruby again, who rushed forward with her scythe to meet him. He used his blades to block the scythe and kicked Ruby backward. She easily remained upright and they clashed again. He managed to land a strike on Ruby's right arm, causing her to cry out in pain as he began to laugh. I got mad and began to run at him but was kicked back. Ruby didn't break stride, however, and leapt back to take a swing at him with her scythe again. He dodged and then landed a moving blow against the body of the scythe, causing a red shimmer to cross her Aura in the area of the strike.

Jaune stepped in at that moment and the guy climbed onto Jaune's shield and grinned at him. Nora rushed in with her hammer, but the guy just leapt from Jaune's shield to her hammer and up through the top story of a narrow, rectangular building. Holding himself up with his feet on wooden frames to either side of him, he looks down at all of us.

"We're not looking for a fight!" Jaune said.

"Who are you?" Ren asked.

The guy leaned forward, dropped from the tower, did a front flip, and landed on his feet in front of us.

"Who I am matters not to you." He pointed at Ren. "Or you." He pointed at Nora. "Or— Well... you do interest me." He pointed at jaune.

Jaune gasped nervously.

"No, I only matter to you." He pointed at Ruby. "And you." He pointed at me.

Ruby and I looked at each other.

"Us?" Ruby asked.

"You, you haven't the slightest clue, do you? Oh, how exciting this must be." He chuckled.

"What do you want?" Ruby asked.

"Oh, the rose has thorns! My little flower, I'm here to whisk you and the Grimm girl away with me!" He said.

"Well, what if they don't want to go with you?" Nora asked.

He stared for a moment with his lips scrunched up before answering.

"Well, I'll take her."

Jaune walked over and stood between the guy and us, his shield held in front of him.

"We're not going to let you do that." Jaune said.

"It's five against one, we can do this." Ruby said.

He closed his eyes and inhaled through his teeth. His eyes slowly open, and he happily growled with a dark grin.

"Who said I am alone?" He asked.

I felt something was behind us and before I could react, I was tackled by someone and tackled through a wall.

"RYUKI!" I heard before the fighting outside began.

I got up and jumped back to see… no… no no it couldn't be. I saw as the pale white body of Satoshi turned to stare at me.

I looked at him as he walked towards me.

 **Pov change: Ruby**

"We have to help Ryuki!"

Before anyone could act, the man moved fast to attack Jaune from behind.

"Jaune!" Ren said.

Ren deliberately shot Jaune's shield so that it ricocheted hit the man. He covered his eyes with his arm and then cartwheeled onto Jaune's shield, using his claw blades to spin in the air against it. I stepped in to face Tyrian on his descent, but he just kicked me to the side. I regained my ground by using Crescent Rose to steady myself. Jaune took a swing with his sword at the man, but he simply dodged and kicked Jaune away as well.

His next move was to run toward Nora. From across the way, I grinned and shot Nora with lightning Dust. It passed just over the man's left shoulder, and he turned as he seemed to sense it. Nora got knocked down when the bolt made contact, dropping her hammer in the process.

Mistaking the move for an error on my part, he gave Nora a baffled stare and laughed while Ren, Jaune and I simply watch and wait.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

"HHRAGH!" I dodged Satoshi's attack.

I jumped up and hit him in the stomach, but he grabbed the staff and swung me into a pillar.

I began to get up when he kicked me into the wall and jumped towards me. I leaned up as he grabbed my throat and readied his fist.

 **Pov change: Ruby**

"Well, if that isn't ironic." The man said.

However, he sensed something was up and lost his mirth. We watched Nora charged him from behind, moving over his right shoulder and coming before him just in time to hit him with the electrified hammer. The blast from the contact had all of us covering our eyes from the backwash of dust and air, Jaune actually taking cover behind his shield.

The air clears to reveal the man was perfectly fine in a crouched state, using his… scorpion tail to block the hammer?! He giggled and curled his fingers at Nora.

"Surprise." He said.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

I was punched up to the second floor and felt the aura lowering from the armor as Satoshi hopped up. I got up and faced Satoshi.

I looked around and saw that the ceiling was weak, so I grabbed a fire arrow and shot at the support beam which exploded and collapsed on top of Satoshi.

I kneeled down as I tried to catch my breath. What the hell was that?

Suddenly the debris seemed to blow up as Satoshi stood up and screamed. He had black lines all over his arms as he stared at me.

I stood up and readied my staff. I pulled out my dagger and attached it to the staff before charging at Satoshi.

 **Pov change: Ruby**

The man kicked Nora twice in the face before leaping backward and upward onto a roof, leaving his coat behind.

"He's… a Faunus?" Ren asked.

"What is this about? The White Fang? Roman Torchwick?" I asked.

"Plastic soldiers and pawns. My heart and body belong only to our goddess." He said.

"Cinder..." I assumed.

"Hmph, only in her wildest dreams." He said.

We heard the wall near us burst open and saw Ryuki fly through landing next to us.

"Ryuki." I said as I saw Satoshi walk through the hole and stare at us.

The man leapt back into the fray. He used his tail to knock Crescent Rose down. I was surprised at the attack, but I didn't lose my grip on it. We both attacked each other and missed until the man kicked me backward again.

He uses his tail to go after Ren before finally kicking him away and attacking Jaune next.

The man kicked Jaune back and then Nora, and then Ren returned for more only to leap away again. I saw Ryuki as she struggled to get up and Satoshi grabbed something that was attached to his shoulder and pulled out her dagger that she seemed to have stabbed him with. Without missing a beat, the man let Ren be and went after me again. In quick succession, he delivered a right hook to my face and a left blow to my torso, causing my Aura to go down. He turned and swung his tail to knock me back into the air. I flew back several feet as he rushed forward to meet me before I landed. While I still midair, he kicked me right in the abdomen, causing a my aura to lower even more so.

As I saw him approach me, I looked to see Ryuki staring at me as she was gasping for air. Satoshi walked up and stepped on her chest and readied his fist.

The man raised his stinger, his eyes turning dark purple. I knew everyone was staring in horror. Laughing, the man was about to strike with his scorpion tail when suddenly a loud burst was heard. I looked to see Satoshi was knocked into the wall and in front of me was… Uncle Qrow.

"Uncle Qrow…?" I asked.

He snickered.

"Hey." He said.


	46. Chapter 46

**Pov: Weiss**

I sat on my bed in my room with my head bowed and my hands folded in my lap. Father paced in front of me.

"Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable." He stopped and pointed at me. "Do you have any idea what your stunt cost us?"

"I —"

"And don't think I'm just talking about Lien here! Our reputation! Our… our…"

Father sighed angrily and held his head, unable to come up with the words to finish expressing the gravity of my mistake. I waited for a moment before speaking.

"I want to leave." I said.

"I beg your pardon?" He asked.

"I said I want to leave. I don't want to stay here anymore. I don't want to stay in Atlas anymore!" I said.

"Young lady, I don't give a damn about what you want! This isn't about you. This is about the Schnee family name and your apparent insistence on dragging it through the mud!"

"I have done nothing but fight to uphold the honor of my family name, a name that you married into!" I said.

*slap*

Father slapped me hard on her left cheek, sending my head to the side as I gasped in reaction. I put my hand on my cheek and turned to face father, looking at him as I lowered my hand. He looked right back at me, unrepentant. When he began speaking again, his voice suddenly sounds calm yet intimidating.

"This behavior of yours is incredibly disappointing. You couldn't possibly understand the lengths I've gone to in order to keep this family where it is. You think running off like your sister is going to make the Schnee name stronger? You're wrong. Siding with her only divides us."

"I'm not siding with anyone. I'm doing what I feel is right, and that does not include wasting my time up here…" I said.

Father walked away, rolling his eyes as I continued.

"...with these clueless people in Atlas. The Schnee family legacy isn't yours to leave. It's mine, and I'll do it as a Huntress." I said.

"No… you won't. You're not leaving Atlas. You're not to leave the manor grounds unless I specifically allow it. You are going to remain here, out of sight and out of trouble, until you and I come to an agreement on your future."

"What?!" I asked.

"Your presupposition that you can simply have whatever it is you want is a clear sign of our failure as parents. But from now on, I'll be giving you the full attention you require, starting by keeping you where I can see you."

With that, father turned once more and walked away.

"You can't just keep me from leaving!" I said.

Again, he stopped and turned to look at me.

"I can, and the staff here will make sure of it." He said.

"So now I'm just your prisoner?!" I asked.

"You are my daughter. You're a child, and children are grounded when they misbehave."

He walked away, and this time, he continued walking even while I spoke to him.

"This is only going to make things worse, Father. People will ask questions! They'll want to know why the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company is suddenly nowhere to be found!" I said.

Father stopped in front of the door and faced me.

"Which is why you are no longer the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company." He said.

I took a step back, stunned.

"Excuse me?" I asked.

"Clearly, the trauma you endured at the fall of Beacon, both from the fighting and the thought of that repulsive creature, was too much for you. Which is why you've generally revoked your claim to the company and its earnings and passed it on to your brother Whitley." Father said.

I stared at father, breathing heavily as I digested the news.

"It's time to wake up and face reality." He said.

Father turned and left. Through the open door, Whitley stood there waiting and clearly having eavesdropped. Father turned to the left without acknowledging him.

I took a moment to deal with my emotions and then stepped out into the hall with my fists clenched. Whitley was moving down the hallway in the opposite direction father had gone.

"Whitley?!" I asked.

"Yes, sister?" He asked.

"Did you know about this?" I asked.

"About what?" He asked.

"You never liked Winter. You never liked me. But you've been nothing but supportive since the moment I came back."

"If being kind to my big sister is some sort of crime, then I suppose I'm guilty." He said.

That's when I realized what he was doing.

"You wanted this to happen." I said.

"It's foolish not to do as Father asks." He said as he leaned in.

"I can't believe you." I said.

"Don't worry, Weiss. The Schnee family name is in good hands." He said.

Whitley turned and walked away, me staring at him as he left.

I returned to my room, collapsed face down across my bed and cried. A second or two went by before I lifted my head and tightened my fist.

I walked to the window and pulled the curtains shut. I moved my bed over several feet, pushed a desk and kicked aside a low glass bench at the foot of my bed. I approached my old box and opened it to reveal Myrtenaster and Dust vials inside. I lifted my weapon and posed with the blade held vertically in front of my face.

 **Pov change: Qrow**

The creepy scorpion pulled his tail back. I turned around, swinging my weapon and holding at the ready by my side. I looked over and saw the kid in the wall.

'So she did mess up. Well played Oz.' I thought to myself.

"As I live and breathe, Qrow Branwen. A true Huntsman has entered the fray!" He said.

Ruby got up and set her scythe on its end. I glanced back at her.

"I don't know, this guy's weird." Ruby said.

"Look, pal, I'm not sure who you are, but you need to leave my niece alone." I said.

"Why, friend, my name is Tyrian. And I'm afraid that is not possible. My assignment from Her Grace was to retrieve this young girl and the Grimm girl. So, that is what I must do. One does not upset the Queen."

"Queen?" Ruby asked.

"Salem." I said.

"Who?" Ruby asked.

"Ruby, you and your friends need to get Ryuki's blood into Satoshi. Just trust me." I said.

"Wait what?"

"Hmm, I think we've had enough talk now, don't you?" Tyrian glared.

Tyrian assumed a crouching position.

"Took the words right out of—"

Tyrian rushed me before I could finish voicing the thought and the two of us fought.

 **Pov change: Ruby**

Jaune, Nora, Ren and I turned to face Satoshi as he broke out of the wall. I crouched down to help Ryuki up.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

Ryuki nodded and got back up, her aura slowly recharging.

"We need you to get some of your blood into Satoshi." I said.

Ryuki nodded and pulled out an arrow. She pressed a button and her aura shut down. She placed the arrow on her hand and carved a line down her hand, creating a line of blood to come out. She wiped it on the arrow and activated her aura again.

"What's the plan?" Ren asked as Satoshi got closer.

"Attack!" I yelled as we charged Satoshi.

I swung my scythe down but Satoshi dodged it. Ren tried to hit Satoshi with his bladed guns but Satoshi dodged and kicked him back. Suddenly Nora swung her hammer at Satoshi and we thought it hit when we realized Satoshi had blocked it with his hand and flung Nora back a few feet. Satoshi grabbed my scythe and flung me up into the air but before he jumped, Ryuki used her semblance and held him and flung him into the building. I landed and we all stared at the building to see Satoshi walk back out. He lifted his hand up and felt his cheek.

"All that for a drop." His voice was demonic.

We turned to see Qrow and Tyrian were fighting still, so Ren and Nora tried to fight him but he managed to push them back. He tried to chase them when Qrow got in front of them.

"Don't come closer! Focus on Satoshi." He said as they continued fighting.

Satoshi charged at Jaune, who swung at Satoshi but blocked the attack and gripped the shield and threw it to his right before delivering a big punch to his chest, launching Jaune back.

Ryuki pulled out an ice arrow and fired at Satoshi who grabbed it and broke it. He jumped over as Ryuki put her bow away and engaged in hand to hand. She managed to block some of the punches and managed to hit him a few times until Satoshi grabbed her arm and flung her through a window.

"Ryuki! Grrrr." I growled at Satoshi as I charged at him and used my speed to hit him until he staggered.

"Ruby!" Nora yelled.

I saw in my speed as Nora threw her hammer at me and I grabbed it before hitting Satoshi with it, sending him into the ground.

"Keep him down." I said as I grabbed Crescent Rose and ran up a tower. I transformed the scythe into the sniper. I aimed at Satoshi and fired about a full clip of ice at him, keeping him firmly in the ground. Before I got down, I saw Tyrian and Qrow were fight. Tyrian managed to use his tail to disarm Qrow. This slowed things down enough for me to try and shoot Tyrian, but after missing once, Tyrian just deflected each shot with his tail. Qrow looked at his fist and just shrugged before punching Tyrian in the face. After that, he continued punching Tyrian in face. With a final kick, he was successful enough to beat Tyrian down and casually move to retrieve his weapon from where it embedded in a wall. Tyrian waits until Qrow had his back turned before striking, but Qrow merely leapt on top of his own weapon and activated its scythe mode.

"Uh Ruby?" I heard.

I looked to see Satoshi was beginning to crack through the ice. I looked between him and Qrow and decided to help Qrow. Just as I reached the building, Qrow flew through a wall, his body and his weapon bouncing. The weapon landed with its blade in the ground, and Qrow perched atop it. Red flickers of damaged Aura moved over his body. Tyrian suddenly came out of the floating dust and grime inside the building, purple flickers moved across his body, meaning his aura was going down. As the two began to strike again, I jumped in between and deflected Tyrian's blades with Crescent Rose.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

"Ruby!" I heard as I jumped through the hole in the wall to see her fighting Tyrian. I looked at Satoshi to see him break through the ice. Ren looked at me and I threw my dagger to him. When he saw it he nodded. He was clearly getting tired and tried to throw some punches at us but we managed to deflect most of them.

He punched Ren back and punched Jaune's shield, pushing him back onto his back. I ran up and kicked Satoshi in the face before grabbing the arrow with my blood and tried to jam it into him. However, before the arrow made contact, he grabbed me by the throat and used his other hand to grab the arrow. He observed it before he snapped the tip off and threw it to the ground.

"That all you got?" Satoshi asked.

I shook my head and looked behind him.

 **Pov change: Ruby (at the same time)**

I attacked again, and Tyrian moved to me. He flipped and sent me back with a two-footed kick. I slid closer to the building and gained my ground, but the wooden beams near the roof were shaken up too much and a heavy one broke and descended upon her. Qrow sliced it in half so it fell in pieces to either side of me without touching me.

I smiled at him in gratitude and affection, and he raised his head from his stance to look at me, only to gasp in pain as he was cut in the abdomen by Tyrian's stinger. Tyrian chuckled but I took a beat from the unexpectedness of it. I immediately placed my scythe on his stinger and cut it off from the rest of Tyrian's tail. It bounced, spurting purple liquid, to the ground.

 **Pov chang: Ryuki (at the same time)**

I looked behind Satoshi who turned to see Ren use my bloodied dagger to stab Satoshi in the side.

"AGGHHHG!" Satoshi screamed as he let me go. I started coughing heavily as Satoshi was screaming.

"You okay?" Jaune asked as he ran over to me.

I nodded slowly and saw Satoshi collapse to the ground. I watched him closely and saw his black lines moving towards his mouth and he started to spit it out. His skin was gaining some color and his two Grimm eyes went back to one. He looked at me and seemed to be really tired.

"…Ryuki?" He asked before losing consciousness.

I wanted to cry from happiness but I knew we had one more threat.

I looked to see Tyrian was reeling back and cried out from the pain of what happened.

'Go.' I said.

 **Pov change: Ruby**

Standing, Tyrian whirls to face me, infuriated.

"You bitch!" Tyrian yelled.

He took a step or two forward but was off balance. Nora, Ren and Jaune all moved to block his path to me and Qrow. I turned to see Ryuki was successful with Satoshi as far as I knew.

Tyrian saw Satoshi and growled before he took a few awkward steps, not engaging.

"She'll forgive you." Tyrian said as he ran away.

Qrow, who had still been upright with his weapon at the ready, collapsed to one knee and clutched at the wound, panting heavily.

"Uncle Qrow! Are you okay?" I asked.

"I'll be fine. He just grazed me." Qrow said.

He looked at Ryuki who was watching Satoshi.

"Congrats, you guys did it." He said.

"Who was that guy?" Nora asked.

"How did you get here?"

Jaune: Why are people after Ruby?

"Uncle Qrow? What's going on? How is Satoshi alive and what good did Ryuki's blood do?" I asked.

"What's your favorite fairy tale?" He asked.


	47. Chapter 47

**Pov: Ryuki**

We all sat around the campfire. Ruby, Qrow, Jaune, Ren and Nora all sat on their respective logs positioned in a square. Meanwhile, I was making sure Satoshi was close enough that he was warm. Qrow had just finished telling the story of the Maidens.

There was silence and Qrow took a swig from his flask. We managed to bandage the wound around his abdomen over his clothing.

"Really? No questions?" He asked.

"Of course we have questions. This is just... a lot to take in." Jaune said.

"Sure, of course."

"So these... Maidens... They're powerful fighters that don't need Dust to use magic." Ruby said.

"Yeah." Qrow said.

"And there are four of them?"

"Yup. Always."

"Which means that, whenever one of them dies, the power transfers to someone - a female - that they cared about?"

"Whoever was in their thoughts last. Important distinction. Best option is someone we can trust. Regardless, their souls become combined, in a way." Qrow said.

"And that's what you were trying to do to Pyrrha... the night the tower fell. You were trying to turn her into one of them."

"The previous Fall Maiden, Amber, had been attacked. She was young, inexperienced. And her assailant, who we now know is Cinder, somehow managed to steal some of her power, but not all of it. We were afraid that if we didn't do something, the rest would go to her as well."

"So you forced it on Pyrrha." Jaune said angrily.

"We didn't force anything. We explained the situation and gave her the choice, and she chose. You were there, you heard her." Qrow said.

Jaune hung his head for a brief moment before getting up and walking several feet away from us. We all watched him go.

"That guy, Tyrian - why was he after Ryuki and I?" Ruby asked.

"And how did Satoshi come back?" Nora asked.

I looked at Qrow to see what he was going to say.

"Well, you definitely painted a target on your back with what you did at Beacon. I told you having silver eyes is a rare trait. And the fact that you were able to use them seems to have upset some very powerful people. Not many people know about the silver eyes. Those that do aren't very happy that one has surfaced. As for Ryuki, I would assume that they wanted to finish the Prophecy of the Twins. You see, Satoshi and Ryuki have their own special eyes. Grimm. However, they were different. Ryuki saw the world in a positive manner while Satoshi saw the world in a different manner. The hatred allowed Satoshi to be possessed by anger. The original prophecy stated that once a sea of darkness attacked the beacon of hope, the brother will kill the sister and their souls shall belong to the darkness forever. But Oz knew this and sought to change it. By teaching Satoshi of his semblance instead of him discovering it on his own, Oz managed to change the prophecy. I knew that once these people found out about Ruby, I had a feeling they'd come after her as well as Ryuki. That's why I've been keeping an eye on you in order to make sure you were safe. All of you." Qrow said.

Satoshi groaned and I looked at him again.

"What's happening to him?" Ren asked.

"Satoshi was trying to be turned into a whole Grimm. However, the change in the prophecy kept this process from happening completely. Oz told me that he did something like this once before and it worked by injecting blood into the possessed one to allow his body to fight back. I'd assume that's what's happening now." Qrow said.

"Wait, then, why not just travel with us? It seems like that would've been way easier." Ruby said.

Jaune answered her loudly enough to be heard, but with his back still turned to us.

"He was using you as bait." Jaune said.

"Look, I wouldn't put it like that - it's complicated." Qrow said.

"What is all of this? Ruby and Ryuki being hunted, Satoshi coming back, the schools are being attacked, all for what?! What is the point of all of this?! Will you just tell us what's going on?!" Jaune asked.

Qrow stared at him, then slouched over with a sigh.

"Would you sit down? You're stressin' me out, 'kid." Qrow said.

Jaune sat back down on his log and crossed his arms. Qrow started to take another swig, but changed his mind before the flask reached his lips.

"Not many people are super religious these days." Qrow said.

Qrow capped and set the flask down.

"This world's been around for a long time, long enough that people have created dozens of gods, some of which include the twins. But if you believe Ozpin, two of them are actually real. There were two brothers. The older sibling, the god of light, found joy in creating forces of life. Meanwhile, the younger brother, the god of darkness, spent his time creating forces of destruction. As you can imagine, they both had pretty different ideas about how things should go. The older one would spend his days creating water, plants, wildlife. And at night, his brother would wake to see all the things that the elder had made and become disgusted. To counteract his brother's creations, the god of darkness brought drought, fire, famine, all he could do to rid Remnant of life. Life always returned. So one night, the younger brother went and made something - something that shared his innate desire to destroy anything and everything."

"The creatures of Grimm." Ruby said.

I placed a blanket on Satoshi as Qrow continued.

"You guessed it. The older brother finally had enough. Knowing that their feud couldn't last like this forever, he proposed that they make one final creation... together, something that they could both be proud of, their masterpiece. The younger brother agreed. This last great creation would be given the power to both create and destroy. It would be given the gift of knowledge, so that it could learn about itself and the world around it. And most importantly, it would be given the power to choose, to have free will to take everything it had learned and decide which path to follow - the path of light or the path of darkness. And that is how Humanity came to be."

"But... what does that have to do with us?" Ren asked.

"Well, that's the kicker. See, the four gifts to mankind - knowledge, creation, destruction and choice - aren't just metaphorical. Each of them exists in a physical form, left behind by the gods before they abandoned Remnant, and each of them is extraordinarily powerful. If someone were to collect all four, they'd be able to change the world. That's exactly what the enemy wants. The Huntsman Academies were created to train generations of Humanity's protectors, but they also serve another purpose - guarding the Relics. When Ozpin's predecessor founded the schools, he built them around the Relics to act as a fortress. Not only would they be easier to defend, but they would constantly be surrounded by trained warriors. The hope was that hiding them would keep mankind from using them against itself... and, of course, keeping them out of her reach."

We were all silent.

"So yeah, there's that." Qrow said.

"Her. You mean Salem?" Ruby asked.

"That's right. Not much is known about her. Quite frankly, that's not what matters. What matters right now is that she wants the Relics, and if she gets them, it's not going to end well." Qrow said.

 **Pov change: Sydney**

I was looking at a mango and pointed at it.

"Five lien." The market man said.

I handed him the money and received the mango to add to my fish and steak and other food.

It's been about six months since the fall of Beacon and right now, Tatsumi and I have been laying low until the Haven school opens up again.

I walked down the street and through the original shortcut to home. However, on the way, a guy walked up and stared at me with a look. I turned around to see another guy.

"Look guys, I'd rather not go through this again." I said.

They began to move towards me. I sighed and placed down the basket and got in my stance. They tried to run at me but I jumped up and hit one of them in the cheek and twirled to deliver a kick to his stomach, knocking him back. I jumped towards the first guy and hit him on the top of the head. I heard a knife being pulled out, but before the second ran at me, I leapt at the wall and pushed off and punched him in the jaw, causing him to fall to the ground in pain.

"Happens every time." I said as I grabbed the basket and walked home again. I made it to the familiar house and walked up the small steps to see the familiar door. I opened it and walked in to see Tatsumi was doing some sit ups before jumping up.

"Hey Sydney." He smiled.

I sighed as I placed the basket down.

"I had to deal with those two jackasses again." I said as I pulled out the steak.

"How bad this time?" Tatsumi asked.

"Just a broken rib and jaw." I said.

"Nice." Tatsumi said.

Ever since we've been together, Tatsumi has gotten better about his manners and hasn't made as many perverted jokes but has made some from time to time.

"The school opened today." Tatsumi said.

"What time do you wanna head over?" I asked.

"After I put these away?" I asked.

"Okay, I'll get showered." He said.

He walked away as I placed the food away for later.

 **Later**

Tatsumi and I walked into teh school to see that no one was in.

"That's weird, no one is here. Usually there's a line all the way down to the third level of Haven." Tatsumi said.

We walked up to the door when some lion Faunus guy opened it.

"Headmaster, where is everyone?" Tatsumi asked.

"Tatsumi? What're you doing here? You were expelled and not allowed back in the school." He said.

"We were wondering if we can do anything to help." I said.

"Well no I don't. Classes have been cancelled for the foreseeable future until we can get a stable hold on the rest of the region." He said.

"Then we can he-"

"I must ask you to leave." The headmaster said.

Something's up.

"Whatever, come on Tatsumi." I said.

Tatsumi stared at the headmaster before leaving with me.

As we walked down the stairs, we whispered to each other.

"Something is wrong." I said.

"No kidding." He said.

Pov change: unknown person

"Should we take care of them?" My partner asked.

"No, let's wait. They haven't done anything yet." I said.

My partner nodded and we ran back to HQ.

 **Pov change: Blake**

I stood on the second story deck outside of father's office. The broken moon shined over the house. I stared at father's door, beside which hung an empty birdcage, when mom spoke behind me, startling me.

"You know, you can always go in and say hi." Mom said.

Mom was carrying a tray with a tea set on it.

"I don't wanna bother him." I said.

"A father's never too busy for his daughter." Mom said.

"Not all of my friends would agree with you on that." I said.

Mom kissed me on the cheek and handed me the tray. I accepted it, but was a bit taken aback by being handed it.

"Here." She said.

"W-What? Where are you going?" I asked.

"You've never been very talkative, but that boy you brought home loves to run his mouth. I wanna hear more about the adventures of Team RWBY and team STRS." She said.

Mom walked away.

"Kali? Is that you, dear?" I heard.

I was so nervous the tray shook in my hands, and I let out a quiet whine.

I opened the sliding door to see dad straightening some paperwork on his desk.

"Uh, hey dad." I said.

"Blake! Well, this is a pleasant surprise." Dad said.

"I..."

"Please, come sit." Dad stood up.

We both moved to the coffee table and lounge furniture, and I set the tea set at the end where father sat.

"Don't worry, I've got it. Sit down, sit down."

"I don't wanna keep you if you're-"

"Nonsense, I've been cooped up in here all day." Dad said as he poured two cups of coffee.

He put a cube of sugar in the cup nearest to me.

"You still take sugar, right?" He asked.

"Oh, actually, uh-"

"Oh! Sorry!" Dad said.

"No, no no no, it's fine." I said.

"Oh, here, take this one." Dad offered his cup.

"No, really. It's, it's no big deal." I said as I took my cup.

"You sure?" He asked.

"Positive." I said.

"Old habits, I suppose." Dad said.

I took a sip of my tea and winced at how hot it was.

"Might wanna let it cool." Dad said.

"Right." I said as I set the cup down on the table.

"So... is it... warm... in Vale?" Dad asked.

"Huh?" I asked.

"It just... seems like your outfit doesn't cover very much." Dad said.

I looked down at myself and crossed my arms.

"It covers plenty." I said.

"I mean, a little more armor might help. Don't you think?" Dad asked.

"I'm fine. I don't need armor. I can look after myself." I said.

"I...*sigh* I know you can. I'm sorry." Dad said.

He set down his own cup. I felt sad, and looked away, bowing my head.

"Why?" I asked.

"Hmm?"

"Why would you say that?" I asked.

Dad moved closer to me, getting down on one knee and putting a hand on my back.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong? What did I say?" He asked.

"How can you still love me after what I did?" I asked.

"Blake..." he began.

He got up and sat beside me on the couch, putting his arm around me.

"Your mother and I will always love you." He said.

"You were right. I shouted at you and yelled at you. But you were right. I called you cowards!" I said.

I lowered my head towards dad. I felt as he held me.

"It's okay." He said.

"I should have left the White Fang with you and Mom. I should've listened to you, and I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." I said I felt a tear shed from my eye.

Dad moved my head to look at him and wiped the tear from my eye.

"Blake, it's fine. We never held anything against you, and I never feared you would fail. The only thing I ever feared was that you would fall down the wrong path, and I am so proud to see you haven't."

"But I did! I was-" I said as I lowered my face again.

"And you pulled yourself out. You came back. There aren't many who possess that kind of strength and even fewer that have the courage to face their demons again. Vale, Mountain Glenn, Beacon - you confronted the White Fang time after time." Dad said.

"I didn't do it alone." I said.

"No, you didn't. Which is why I wanted to ask you... why did you leave Vale? Why did you leave your friends behind?" Dad asked.

"I..."

Before I could finish, the porch door fell inward, Sun on top of it and yelping. I turned around to see him on the floor.

"Sun?!" I asked.

"D'yuh! Whoa! This isn't the bathroom! Uh, I'll just be going! Sorry to interrupt this tender family moment!" Sun awkwardly chuckled.

"I really don't like you." Dad said.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

"Alright. So, let's say we believe all this. There really is this crazy evil being behind these attacks, not just some thugs trying to become powerful. Why doesn't the world know? Why isn't Atlas going after them? Or Mistral?" Jaune asked.

"And why aren't we in more of a hurry to get to Haven? Shouldn't we be getting them a message? What if they're next?" Nora asked.

'Can Satoshi and I actually die?' I asked.

"The headmaster over there saw what happened to Beacon. He's not dumb. He'll be on his guard. Besides, it takes time to mobilize forces like that. Do you really think they planned out that attack on Beacon overnight?" He looked at Jaune. "And to answer your question, it's the same reason we keep quiet about the Maidens. If the whole world knew about the Relics, about Salem, there would be chaos. There'd be another Great War on our hands, and this time, you'd have to fight. As for you…" he looked at me, "you and Satoshi can die, it's just that his soul was corrupted and was then placed in Salem's hands."

Jaune turned away.

"Look, I had the same questions, too. But ol' Oz would always put his foot down. 'We can't cause a panic.' Heh, can't tell you how many times I've heard that. Salem's smart. She works from the shadows, using others to get what she wants, so that when it comes time to place the blame, we can only point at each other. She's trying to divide us - humanity, and so far she's done a pretty damn good job. The only thing that everyone seems to agree on is that you and your brother are threats to society." Qrow said.

Leaning back, Qrow looked up at the broken moon as he sighed.

"Alright, so what should we do?" Ruby asked.

We all looked at Qrow.

"I don't really know." He said.

We all looked at each other, with both shock and fear. We returned our gaze to him when he started speaking again.

"Ozpin has put a lot of trust in the headmasters. Like I said, the schools are an important part of stopping Salem. Atlas is going to be on high alert after the last attack, and Vacuo is - well, Vacuo. It'll be hard to hire thieves and scoundrels to fight against other thieves and scoundrels. Take that, add in the fact that Cinder and her crew claim to be from Haven, and I think it's likely the next target. So, we're on our way to the headmaster. Haven't heard from him in a while, even before the attack. I'm hoping he has the answers." Qrow said.

Qrow stood, but grabbed at where he was cut.

"Alright, I think it's time you kids got some sleep." Qrow said.

"Uncle Qrow?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah?"

"This is a lot to take in, and it all sounds crazy, but... I'm willing to do whatever I can to help because I trust you. But why couldn't you trust me? Why couldn't you just travel with us, instead of this secrecy, and, and-"

"Look, this has nothing to do with trust. I- It's a long story, okay?"

"Seriously? Now you're tired of telling us stories?" Nora asked.

Qrow stared at the fire in silence before speaking. As he talked, he kneeled down, picked up a stick and poked at the fire.

"Did you know that crows are a sign of bad luck? Old superstition, but it's how I got my name. See, some people can absorb electricity, some people can burst into rose petals, some can lift objects, and some people are just born unlucky. My Semblance isn't like most - it's not exactly something I do. It's always there, whether I like it or not. I bring misfortune. I guess you could call me a bad luck charm. Comes in real handy when I'm fighting an enemy, but it makes it a little hard on friends... and family." He said.

Getting up, he still held his side.

"Well, you are just a real bundle of help, aren't you?" Jaune said.

Ruby, Nora, and I turned to glare at Jaune.

"Yeah." Qrow said.

Qrow walked away from the campfire, slowly.

"Where are you going?" Ren asked.

"Taking a walk." Qrow said.

"There's nothing else you want to tell us?" Ruby asked.

He was quiet for a bit, staring at the trees.

"Not tonight." Qrow said.

When he was gone, Ruby looked at me.

'I'm going to be with Satoshi tonight.' I said.

"I understand." Ruby said.

 **Pov change: Blake**

With a groan of frustration, I slapped Sun outside of dad's office.

"Ugh! No concept of privacy, *slap* no respect for personal space!" I said.

He moved his hand to his face where I made contact the second time.

"I'm sorry, okay?! Ow, I'm sorry!" Sun said.

"Ugh!" I groaned.

"Look, I promise it was important! I needed to find you to talk to you!" Sun said.

"What, Sun? What could be so important?!" I asked.

"I was talking to your mom and she said something weird about the White Fang!" Sun said.

"I'm stopping you right there." I said.

"But—"

"I told you, I'm not here to fight the White Fang, I'm not here to fight anyone. I'm here to rest, to figure things out, and to see my family." I said.

"Your mom said White Fang members don't wear masks in Menagerie. But I saw one at the market yesterday! I even have a picture!" Sun said as he pulled his Scroll out of his back pocket.

"Sun!" I yelled.

"Look, I'm trying to help!"

I pulled his Scroll out of his hands and tossed it out into the trees.

"I don't want your help!"

Before we could say another word, we heard a gasp and looked to see what made the noise. Upon closer inspection, we saw a female figure. Knowing she was spotted, she ran.

"A freakin' ninja?!"

"A spy!" I said.

"But why would—"

He stopped as I jumped over the railing and into the trees.

"Hey wait!" Sun said as I chased whoever it was.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

It was morning time at the campsite, and the birds were awake. I woke up to see some more color was in Satoshi but he was still slightly cold and unconscious.

"We should probably get moving." Ren sighed.

"Yeah, yeah." Jaune said.

We heard coughing coming from Qrow. Ruby quickly got up and ran over to her uncle. We saw purple stains Qrow's bandage, which he was holding his right hand over. He lifted his left hand to his mouth as he continued to cough. Qrow pulled his hand away with a groan, and the whole palm, including up over the wrist and his fingers, was covered in the purple stain.

'He is poisoned.' I said.

Ruby's eyes grew wide, and gasped. Qrow looked at his hand.

"Well..." He looks up at us. "That's unfortunate."


	48. Chapter 48

**Pov: Yang**

I lifted my head up, my arms ready for the fight. Dad took a swing at me with his left hand, but I easily blocked it with my new wrist, pushing his hand away from me. The same thing happened with his right hand and my left arm, only this time I used the momentum to turn and come back at dad with a roundhouse kick. Dad bent backwards to dodge it and gave me a solid punch, pushing me back a few feet.

Dad moved forward, doing his own roundhouse kick. I joined connected hands atop each other to block his foot. With a loud cry, I pushed it up and back. Dad regained his footing in a flip while I waited for his landing. Using my new arm, I knocked him back with a single hit.

Holding onto his right bicep, dad slid through the dirt, his feet flat on the ground until he came to a stop.

"Whoa, that thing packs a punch!" Dad said.

"We've been at this for weeks. I get it, you wanna make sure I can still fight. I think I'm doing just fine." I pumped my knuckles together.

"You're close." Dad said.

He stood upright, no longer nursing his arm. Walking around me in a circle, he assessed my progress.

"Oh, really?" I asked.

"You're still off balance and I can tell that you're still distracted."

"What?! No I'm not!" I said.

Dad chuckled.

"Honestly, I'm kind of surprised." I said.

I lifted my robotic arm, looking down at it with a smile.

"I thought it would be just this huge weight, but it feels… natural. They did a great job with this thing." I said.

Dad suddenly delivered a left hook right into my face. My upper body reared back both from impact and surprise. I was ready to block his right hook and used the turning momentum to deliver an elbow jab. Grinning the entire time, dad blocked it and then dodged all the kicks I followed through with. I then decided to switch to punches, but dad was too on point for me. While I used my left hand to block an elbow thrust, dad grasped my robotic arm and pulled it forward. The position put me in the position of having my balance rely on the weight of my leg.

"I wasn't talking about your actual balance." He said.

He swept my forward leg, sending me onto the ground on my back. He left me there and walked over to Zwei, who happily got the top towel for him.

"Although, that could use some work too."

Dad took the towel and gave Zwei a rub on the top of his head. My arms spread on the ground, I took a breath before speaking.

"Meaning?"

"I saw your tournament fights. During the Vytal Festival." Dad said.

"Let me guess. 'I was sloppy.'" I said.

"No, no, you were predictable. And… stubborn. And… maybe a little boneheaded. And you were distracted by thinking of Satoshi."

I looked down for a second before I sat up and spun to stare at dad.

"Do you realize that you used your Semblance to win every fight after the qualifiers?"

"So what? How is me using my Semblance any different than someone else using theirs?"

Tossing the towel on the ground, dad moved towards me.

"Because not everyone else's is basically a temper tantrum. I'm serious! Once you take damage, you can dish it back twice as hard, but that doesn't make you invincible! It's great when you're in a bind, but what happens if you miss? What happens if they're stronger? What then? Now you're just weak and tired! You've always been one to burn brighter than everyone else, whether it was with your smile, or, well, I remember your first haircut."

He playfully tugged my hair. Smiling, I batted him away. He chuckled and got up, walking away a few paces with Zwei just behind him.

"But you gotta keep your emotions in check. Keep a level head, and think before you act. I know that you're still mourning his passing and I understand. But that can also affect your Semblance. Your Semblance is a great fallback, but you can't let yourself rely on it. It won't always save you. Obviously. You definitely have your mom's stubbornness."

"Oh, so now we can talk about her?" I asked.

"Well, as I have been informed, you're an adult now, remember?" Dad asked.

"Well, sorry I remind you of her." I said.

"Don't be. Raven was great in so many ways - her strength, her ambition, her dedication to whatever cause she thought was worth fighting for." Dad said as he turned around to face me. "I'm proud of how much of her I see in you. But, I'm glad I don't see all of her in you."

"Why?" I asked.

"Your mother was… a complicated woman. Like everybody, she had her faults, but those faults are what tore our team apart. And, it did a real number on our family. You both act like the easiest way to tackle an obstacle is through it. That strength is all that matters in a fight. But if you just take a second look, then maybe you see… there's a way around as well. Come on - one more before dinner." Dad said as he extended his hand.

I took his hand and he helped me up. We circled each other, arms at the ready. Dad made the first move with a left hook, followed immediately by a right cross and a kick. I blocked and dodged, continuing to avoid being hit even when dad flipped in the air. I cartwheeled, avoiding him as he landed across from me. We faced off again, dad doing a single punch and kick. Veering to avoid it, I rolled a few feet away before turning and rushing at him. We meet in the middle, each with our left hand on the other's right elbow, pushing against each other.

"Heh. See? Alright! Now you're using your head instead of your-"

I kicked his leg out from underneath him, but caught him as he fell back. We paused in that pose, grasping hands and smiling together.

I helped him up and he clapped.

"Good job. Alright, I'm gonna go freshen up and make dinner. Wanna join?" He asked.

"I Uh…" I looked at the path.

Dad nodded.

"Okay, take your time." He said as he walked in with Zwei.

I walked down the path to the familiar lake and the familiar tombstone. Ivy has begun growing up the sword as I sat down and talked to Satoshi.

"Hey Satoshi. Dad and I just finished training and he said that I'm doing really well. My new arm feels better than I ever really imagined it being. I thought that it would weigh me down but it's like I never lost the original. I guess he was right though… I was distracted because no matter how long it's been… I just can't get the idea that you're actually gone out of my head. I keep thinking that I am gonna come back home and see you yelling with Ryuki or sparring with Tatsumi. I know it's silly." I said.

I looked up to see that it was getting dark.

"I gotta go. I'll talk to you tomorrow." I looked down to kiss his grave again before walking back home.

 **Pov change: Weiss**

In my room, I held my rapier and stepped back, twirled, a stream of blue-white light coming from the tip of my sword. On the close of my twirl, I held it aloft before striking the tip to the floor. A Summoning glyph appeared, the Arma Gigas' sword slowly but surely beginning to emerge. My eyes were shut as I concentrated, the power of my Summoning causing a small wind to blow the hair around my face. However, an annoying voice interrupted me.

"Hello, sister." He said.

The sword shatters and disappeared, the glyph fading away after.

"Ugh, leave." I said.

"How hurtful. And here I am, about to offer you a favor. Father's taking me to town to introduce me to some of his business partners. I'd thought I'd see if you wanted me to pick up anything, since you're … well, stuck here."

"Are you jealous? Is that it?" I asked.

"Whatever do you mean?" He asked.

"Is that why you hate me? Are you jealous of my abilities? Of Winter's?"

"Hmm… no, not really. Honestly, I find it barbaric. It's beneath people like me. Like Father. What can a single Huntsman possibly do that an army cannot? That's why we have one, even if it is run by a fool." Whitley said.

"I said, leave." I said.

"Fine, fine. I've got better things to do. Enjoy your… training, however pointless it is."

Before he left, he looked back at me.

"What is your plan, anyway? What do you hope to accomplish while trapped in your own bedroom?" He asked.

I used black glyph on the open door, promptly swinging it shut on Whitley's briefly surprised face.

Weiss lowered Myrtenaster with a sigh and resumed my Summoning position. The glyph appeared and this time I looked at the portrait of the Arma Gigas on the wall. I repeated the same twirl and stab. The glyph glowed brightly and spun faster.

The books shook in the bookcase on the wall. The window burst outward as the room was consumed in a bright white light. The light abated as I covered my eyes with my arm. The door to her room is pushed open by Klein.

"Miss Schnee! Are you alright?!" He asked.

Klein was amazed to say the very least as was I. I smiled at him and turned to face the Arma Gigas I successfully Summoned.

"Yes." I said.

The Arma Gigas kneeled down to one knee and bowed to me.

"Klein, I need a favor." I said.

Klein nodded.

 **Pov change: Blake**

I chased after the masked White Fang member as we leapt from tree to tree. We both pause for a moment, gripping different trees. A noise above the spy made her gasp as Sun appeared, dropping down.

"Gotcha!" Sun yelled.

She leapt on, out of his path. I pursued while Sun landed on a branch.

"Hey, wait up!" Sun yelled.

"Don't let her out of your sight!" I said.

The spy emerged from the trees and onto a rooftop. She continued to run across the buildings, me right behind her. Sliding under some arching pipes, she finally turned and stopped. She pulled her weapon out and it seemed to be a sort of whip. She sliced the pipe, releasing steam to block me. It doesn't work however, me moving right under the pipes through the steam.

"Why are you watching me?" I asked.

The girl smiled and lowered her weapon. Sun landed on the roof behind her, causing her to turn around.

"Give it up! I'm not above hitting a girl, you-"

He got cut off when the spy's whip came at him in an attack, which he fell back to avoid. I took advantage of the distraction to kick the Scroll out of the spy's hand. The girl was surprised, but managed to avoid my next attack, and responded with a kick of her own and attempted to retrieve the Scroll. Sun tackled her before she could though.

"Grab the Scroll! Seems someone thinks it's important!" Sun said.

"Get off!" The spy said.

She headbutted Sun, cracking off the part of the mask covering her left eye, and tried to race Blake to the Scroll. Before the spy could make it, four of sun's clones grabbed her. Sun was holding his pose to control his Semblance and I paused.

"Quit staring and grab it!" Sun said.

I listened, and Sun finally released his Semblance, which he had been struggling to maintain, and fell to his knees. The clones disappeared from atop the girl. She rose and aims her weapon at me.

"Blake, watch out!" Sun said.

I turned, rising with the Scroll in my hand. I could see the broken Grimm mask crumble from the spy's face.

"Ilia." I said.

"Wait, you know her?! But she doesn't even look like a f—aagh!"

He got cut off when the Ilia struck an electric hit near his shoulder with her weapon. Sun cried out and fell.

"Sun!"

"Give it to me." Illia said.

"No." I said.

Ilia changes color again to show she was sad.

"You shouldn't have come back." She said as used her weapon to create a rush of dust, which allowed her to escape.

I waited for a seconds before rushing to Sun.

"Sun! Sun!"

Sun was lying on his back, bleeding from the wound Ilia caused. I covered the wound with my hands.

"No, no, no, not again, please! Help! Somebody! Hold on, Sun, just hold on." I said.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

The landscape was quite dreary. Ruby was breathing heavily.

"Just hold on, Uncle Qrow." She said.

Ruby and Jaune were carrying Qrow on a makeshift stretcher. Ren was before us on the path, leading the way while Nora and I were carrying Satoshi. Qrow was groaning in pain and was a bit delirious.

"Tai. She's not… coming… hrrrg Tai." Qrow coughed repeatedly.

"He's getting worse." Jaune said.

"How much farther?" Ruby asked.

"We've gotta be close." Nora said.

I looked at Satoshi and saw he was coughing up some black stuff and seemed to still be the same color as last night.

"Without the map, there's no way of knowing. But I feel like we're close to something." Ren said.

Ren suddenly holstered his weapon.

"What is it?" Ruby asked.

Directly ahead was a fork in the road with a signpost. Kuchinashi and Mistral were to the right, where the land was mountainous. To the left was Kuroyuri, its name crossed out. That pathway remained low ground.

"Hey, hey! Mistral! We're on the right path! Oh…" Nora said.

"Does it say how close?!" Ruby asked.

"No. And it looks like the path takes us up the mountains." Ren said.

Jaune and Ruby set Qrow down as we set Satoshi down.

"Guys, I don't know if all of us can make that climb." Jaune said.

Ruby looked at Qrow, concerned, before rushing forward to the sign post. I heard Satoshi groan, so I moved over to him and crouched down to see how he was doing. His eyes opened to see he had two Grimm eyes for a second but it seemed like his body was still fighting it.

"Okay. Well, what about this place? Kuro… Kuroyuri? Can we get help there?" Ruby asked.

"That village was destroyed years ago." Ren said.

"But if it takes us around the mountains, it's the best bet we've got."

"It will take too long." Ren said.

"The town would have had a doctor, right? Maybe we could scavenge for medicine!"

"Right!" Jaune said.

"We're not going to find anything! We just have to press on!" Ren said.

"Ren, why are you acting-" jaune began.

"We can split up." Nora said.

"Huh?" Ruby asked.

"Ren and I can cut through the mountains while you guys take Qrow and Satoshi around through the village." Nora said.

"No, we're supposed to stick together! We keep each other safe! Besides, Qrow is already heavy enough that Ruby and I are carrying him. Can Ryuki even carry Satoshi?" Jaune asked.

"We don't have time for safe! If we make it to Mistral, we'll bring back help! If we don't, at least we'll have a better view of the land! Up there, we can see if there's somewhere else we can go! And Ryuki has her semblance."

'It will make him sick though.' I said. 'I can try and carry him.'

"Ok." Jaune said.

Jaune stepped forward and he and Ren hugged each other.

"Just take care of each other." Jaune said.

"We always have." Nora smiled at Ren.

Nora hugged me and hispered "thank you" to me. I leaned down and placed Satoshi on my back, carrying him alongside Ruby.

"They're gonna be fine, Jaune." Ruby said.

"You don't know that." Jaune said.

As we walked, Ruby looked at me.

"If you need help just let me know." Ruby said.

I nodded and we continued walking to the town.


	49. Chapter 49

**This chapter is gonna be a combination of two episodes because the lore was focused solely on Ren and Nora.**

 **Pov: Ryuki**

A cracked signed bearing the name 'Kuroyuri' rested against the ruins. Ruby, Jaune, and I walked down the road, them carrying Qrow on a stretcher, and me carrying Satoshi. We paused and looked unhappily around.

"Oh, man." Jaune said.

"Come on." Ruby said.

We began to continue forward when I fell to one knee.

"Ryuki!" Ruby said as she ran up to me. "Here, let's set Satoshi down."

We set Satoshi down gently and looked around.

"Any of these places look like a pharmacy?" Ruby asked.

"It's... honestly hard to tell." Jaune said.

Amongst the ruins, we saw the abandoned bicycle. We got up and continued walking.

"Ren really didn't want to come here, did he?" Ruby asked.

"Uh... didn't seem so." Jaune said.

"Do you know... why?" Ruby asked.

"I think I have a pretty good idea..." jaune said.

We continued walking when we made it to what felt like the center of the town.

"Let's look around. Ryuki, stay here and look after these two." Ruby said.

I nodded and sat next to them with my bow and arrow ready.

Qrow was leaning against a dead sakura tree, groaning. Though not conscious, he held a hand over his wound. As I waited, Satoshi started groaning.

"Ry-Ryu…" I heard.

I went over to him and saw him open his eyes.

"Ryu…ki…" He said as he fell asleep again.

I sat down and waited.

 **Later**

I saw Ruby and jaune appear and seemed upset.

"Nothing." Ruby said.

We heard an creature make a loud noise from off in the distance, causing both all of us to turn. Jaune's hand immediately went to his sword and we looked around for the source of the noise.

"It's far off." Ruby said as she stood next to me.

"I know, but Ren and Nora are still out there." Jaune said.

Ruby looked at Qrow and Satoshi before standing and approaching Jaune.

"I'm sorry." Ruby said.

"Huh?" Jaune asked.

I looked at Ruby as she looked down.

"This is all my fault. I should have never dragged you guys into this." Ruby said.

"You didn't drag us in. We wanted to come."

"But you didn't know about Tyrian, about Satoshi, about-"

"Ruby. We lost... We lost lost her, too. And Penny, and we lost Satoshi even if he came back, and your team, and in a way... your sister. But you're still here, despite everything you've lost, everything you could still lose, you chose to come out here."

Ruby turned to face Jaune. I stood up and walked up to the others.

"Because you felt like you could make a difference." Jaune said.

"You didn't drag us along. You gave us the courage to follow you." Jaune said.

I nodded.

'I always thought that you had it in you.' I said.

Jaune put his hand on her shoulder. She smiles at us, grateful, and we smiled back.

 **Pov change: Ren**

We couldn't go back home. Not after that… that thing attacked it.

"We never get the easy path, do we?" I asked.

"Easy's no fun anyway." Nora said.

"You ok?" She asked.

"Mmm. And you?" I asked.

"I've got you here, don't I?" Nora asked.

I looked at her, unsure of what to make of her response.

"Come on. There's more than one way up a mountain." Nora said.

I watched her continue before smiling. Thunder rumbled and I lost the smile, turning to look up at the sky.

"Hey! There's wind blowing out of this cave!" Nora said.

I caught up to her and saw the entrance.

"Think it might lead to the peak?" Nora asked.

"I suppose there's only one way to find ou—ah!" I was interrupted when a piece of fabric hit me in the face. I heard Nora giggle, as I freed myself.

"Yes, yes. Very funny." I said as I looked at the paper and froze.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Nora asked.

"This is the symbol for Shion Village." I said.

"Shion? But that's... that's the village where we found the Huntsman. It's weeks away from here!"

I dropped the fabric and ran into the cave.

"Ren! Wait!" Nora said.

I stopped once I saw what was there. Nora caught up to me and was as alarmed as I was at what I saw.

"Oh my gosh..."

Weapons speckled every place we can see. Swords, axes and staffs are were either propped up or on the ground. I moved down and picked up an arrow. I studied it while Nora approached just behind me. As she looked, I also saw what was on the ground... the Nuckelavee hoofprint. It was pointed toward another opening on the opposite end of the cave.

We ran to the opening to see the trees shaking towards home.

"No..." I said as I felt Nora grab my hand.

 **Pov change: Cinder**

I was in a large, empty room. Four Beowolves approached me, moving in a semicircle formation. I swung my left arm at them, sending another slash of fire. It cut through the middle of all four Grimm and they disintegrated away.

I panted again, still upright yet taking a breather. I did not get long, as heavy footsteps approached from my left. I gasped and looked in the source's direction. A Grimm leapt into the air, ready to deliver a blow to me with its fist. I, however, pull3ed back my right arm and pushed a ball of flame right at it. It, too, disintegrated.

As its body disappears, I fell to my knees, breathing heavily.

"Enough." Salem said behind me.

She walked forward while I continued to struggle for normal breathing.

"I thought you were the girl who wanted power. Did you lie to me?" Salem asked.

I winced on the force of Salem's question before looking upward. Turning to face Salem, I shook my head negatively.

"Then stop holding back. If you wish to master your new powers, you must-"

Salem was cut off by the sound of the heavy doors opening. A sobbing Tyrian entered alone. He fell to his knees once in the room, both hands flat on the floor and his head bowed.

"I'm sorry. She'll forgive me. Pleeeease." Tyrian said. "Forgive me…"

"Tyrian!" Salem said.

She stood before him. He raised his body but remained sitting on his legs while I rose from the stone floor behind Salem.

"Your task - were you successful?" Salem asked.

"N-no."

"And the boy?!" Salem asked.

"Qrow…Qrow knew how to reverse it and… he's gone."

My eye widened. Salem also was surprised for a moment before narrowing her eyes and walking away. I watched, waiting for her further reaction without looking at Tyrian.

"But-but hope is not lost! My tail, my stinger… I-I poisoned him, Qrow! He will not be a nuisance to you any longer, no… no longer! And the girl, the twins are together. I've done that... have I done well? Have I pleased you?"

"The last eye is blinded… you disappoint me." Salem said.

Salem left. As soon as she left, Tyrian fell forward, wailing. A Beowolf approached, it was focused on Tyrian's negative emotions. It ignored me and leapt upon him. Tyrian sent it away with a single blow and it landed on its back. Still wailing, Tyrian opened his weapons and leapt atop the Beowolf. He slashed at it repeatedly, tears streaming down his face. His wails gradually turned into laughter as he vented his grief into the butchering of the Grimm. I watched, horrified.

 **Pov change: Yang**

Outside of home on Patch, I spray painted my robotic arm and half of Ember Celica bright yellow. I went into the tool shed and took the tarp off of my precious motorcycle, Bumblebee.

"I don't remember saying that you were ready." Dad said.

He was leaning against the frame of the open shed door, arms crossed.

"Oh yeah? You're gonna try and stop me?" I asked.

"No. I think I'm still too sore after our last fight. I just wanted a better goodbye than a letter. And, I also have a question for you." Dad asked.

I turned around to face him.

"Where are you going?" Dad asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, despite asking him numerous times not to, I know that Qrow told you where your mother's been at these days. I know how much you wanna see her. I've stopped you in the past, but I won't anymore. And we both read the note. We know your sister's headed to Mistral. So, where are you going?" Dad asked.

I looked down at the tarp as dad made his point. I remained gazing down for another couple of seconds before looking up at dad. My eyes narrow in determination, my decision made.

 **Later**

"This will be the last time I speak to you for a while. I hope you are proud to see how I'm doing. I promise that I will never forget you. I don't think I can now, cause now you will always be with me." I said as I pulled out the sword from the ivy. It was still sharp. Nothing a little cleaning won't fix.

I kissed the tombstone one last time before driving off.

 **Pov change: Weiss**

I steps out of my bedroom, carrying a white suitcase and Myrtenaster. I looked around cautiously, my footsteps loudly resounding in the ornate hallway. I jumped and gasped when Klein appeared right behind me. He puts his finger to his lips and shushed me before smiling.

"Let's go." He whispered.

We moved quickly across the carpet, our footsteps muffled. Side by side, we go down the staircase and make our way across the entrance hall. We were moving down another hallway when Klein's Scroll buzzed. We both looked at it with squinty eyes.

"Master Whitley! I... um... yes, of course. I'll be just a moment."

He clicked his Scroll off and tucked it away.

"Head to the first floor library. I'll meet you there." Klein said.

We separated, going in opposite directions. I soon passed outside father's study door when I heard a glass crack followed by the rising voice of Ironwood. I crouched behind a cushioned chair against the wall.

"You need to control yourself!" Ironwood said.

"You're talking to me about control? Do you even hear what you're saying?"

"I am basing everything on my reports from your daughter." Ironwood said.

"A daughter you stole!" Father said.

I moved closer to the door to listen.

"Oh, we are not getting into that again."

"Oh, yes, we have far more pressing matters to discuss, starting with your apparent lunacy! And besides, you failed to carry out your previous assignment. How hard is it to extract a single Grimm boy?"

"Jacques!" Ironwood yelled.

"Winter is one of my best. If she's telling me there's a threat in Mistral then I am not going to take that news lightly. She's been there for weeks, people are mobilizing, sudden spikes in weapons and Dust trades. Someone is about to make a play and I do not trust Leo to stop them. And your plans for Satoshi were inhumane. I didn't trust you when you first offered it to me." Ironwood said.

I continued to listen outside.

"You've never trusted anyone other than yourself!"

"And for good reason! You were going to torture that boy."

I covered my mouth with my hand as I gasped at the sound of Ironwood slamming his fist onto the desk.

"If Oz had just listened to me from the start..."

"You need to get a grip." Father said.

"That's exactly what I'm doing. Our people need protection. By this time next week, the Kingdom of Atlas will be officially closing its borders. No one in; no one out. Without the council's permission."

"You mean, without your permission?"

"And if that becomes the case, I would think you'd want to be on my good side." Ironwood said.

I heard Ironwood coming and used Myrtenaster to cast a black Glyph onto the handle.

"It's locked." Ironwood said.

"What are you talking about?" Father asked.

As Ironwood began hitting the door, I turned and made my way down the hall across the carpet while a couple more bangs came from the door.

I reached the library, but it was empty.

"Klein! Klein, where are you?" I asked.

A hidden door in the corner opened, revealing Klein. He had red eyes now.

"Keep your voice down, I told you I'd be here." Klein said.

I rushed over, dropping both sword and suitcase in order to hug Klein with both arms. He returned the hug and his eyes turned back to normal.

"Are you sure Mistral is safe?" Klein asked.

"No, but it's where I'll find Winter." I said.

"I suppose she'd be the only family you have left after tonight." Klein said.

"I'll always have you." I said.

"You most certainly will." Klein said.

A loud bang was heard.

"Klein?! Klein, get down here this instant!" We heard father.

"Go, now." Klein said.

I grabbed my things and went through the secret passage in the corner of the library. I paused to turn and look at the butler one more time.

"Thank you, Klein." I said.

He nodded and shut the door.

 **Pov change: Sun**

I opened my eyes to see Blake was worried.

"Blake?" I asked.

Blake was sitting on a chair across from the couch, her body facing me. Her head was bowed and her hands were folded in her lap.

"This… is why, Sun. This is why I left them all behind."

"What are you… wait, where am I?" I asked/

Blake got up and walks over to the couch as I looked around in confusion.

"I am done seeing my friends hurt because of me." Blake said.

"Blake..."

"Shut up! Do you think I like being alone? Every day… every day I think about them! Ruby, Weiss, Yang, Ryuki, Satoshi… they were my friends! I loved them like I never thought I could love anybody. And I hope they hate me for leaving."

"You don't mean that." I said as I began to get up.

"Yes, I do!" Blake said.

She was forceful enough with her voice that I pulled back.

"Everyone thinks they can help me, but they can't. You saw Ilia last night and she's not even the worst! No. No more. They're better off without me. I made my choices and I'll deal with the consequences because they belong to me."

"You think you're being selfless, but you're not. Yeah, that chameleon friend of yours got me pretty good. But I'd do it all again if it meant protecting you." I said.

Blake turns to face me, surprised.

"And I can promise Yang would say the same. Or any of the others." I said.

Blake turned away, looking down.

"You can make your own choices, sure. But you don't get to make ours. When your friends fight for you, it's because we want to. So stop pushing us out! It hurts more than anything the bad guys could ever do to us." I said.

I looked at the floor and Blake, who had turned to face me, turned away again.

"But, if it makes you feel any better, the next time I go up against Lizard Girl, it won't be for you - it'll be to get even." I said.

I attempted to point to my wound with my left thumb, but couldn't complete the motion and it aggravated the injury. I winced in pain and Blake laughed.

"My hero." Blake said.

The door behind Blake, the same one that I crashed through the night before, crashed down again. This time it was Kali embarrassing herself through eavesdropping too closely. Behind her, Ghira looked down at his wife on the ground with his hand on his hip. Kali popped upward again.

"Oh! Oh dear, would you look at that, he's awake! Thank goodness!" He said.

"Kali, please." He said.

"Mom!" Blake yelled.

"Hey, Mrs. B!" I said.

"What are you doing?!" Blake asked.

"Well, sweetheart, your father needed to speak with the two of you."

"Huh?"

"I'm afraid you were right to be suspicious."

"What do you mean?" Blake asked.

"Adam Taurus is planning to overthrow the leader of the White Fang, and stage a full-scale attack on Haven Academy. It would be the Fall of Beacon all over again."

"Not if we destroy the White Fang once and for all." I said.

"No."

Blake stood up, full of decision.

"We're not going to destroy the White Fang. We're going to take it back." Blake said.

 **Pov change: Ren**

Nora and I ran through the abandoned Kuroyuri.

"Not again, not again..." I said.

We come to a stop after passing under an arch leading to the center of town. I was panting, but Nora was hardly winded. I lifted my head and my worried eyes changed to ones smiling in relief.

In front of us, Jaune, Ryuki, and Ruby faced the other way, but abruptly turned, Jaune putting his hand on his weapon. Qrow was propped up against the tree and Satoshi was asleep.

"What are you guys doing here?" Ruby asked.

"Did you hear that noise? What was that?!" Jaune asked.

'It sounds like it was getting closer.' Ryuki said.

My eyes grew wide and I fell to my knees, realizing what I just did.

"No..."

"Ren! What is it?!" Ruby asked

I heard the footsteps get closer.

"Wait, you guys hear that?" Jaune asked.

"No..." I said.

"Ren?" Nora asked.

"Ryuki! Behind you!" Ruby yelled.

I lifted my head to see the Grimm that killed my family and destroyed my old home.

The old Grimm has moved its body straight up and stared at us, twitched its head and roared.


	50. Chapter 50

**Pov: Ryuki**

The sounds of thunder and gunfire were all I could hear. The billowing cloud of dust and pieces of wood rose in the distance around the top of a tree that was barely visible. Jaune, Ruby, Ren, Nora, and I all fell back by the dead cherry tree. Qrow and Satoshi were still unconscious and propped against it.

The monster came into view, twitching its various body parts. It sent out a roar that caused all of us to flinch. The Grimm looked at us and turned its head to look at Qrow and Satoshi and began to run towards them.

"NO!" Ruby said.

Jaune sheathed his sword and made a run for Qrow and Satoshi. The creature lashed out with one of its arms, able to extend it at a far reach. Jaune avoided it and got Qrow upright and Satoshi on his shoulder, but the Grimm was heading right for them.

Ren used his Semblance to hide Jaune and Qrow from the Grimm, which stopped short and looks about in confusion. Jaune stood still, staring at the Grimm.

"Just get him to safety!" Ren said.

Pov change: jaune

I walked away with Qrow and Satoshi while the battle resumed. I set Satoshi and Qrow down behind a building. I felt bad for leaving them, but they were left in area that they would be safe for now. I was about to go before Qrow grabbed me by the hand, but fell unconscious before he can say anything.

"Nnnn… no I… I won't…" Satoshi mumbled.

I gave Qrow and Satoshi another look before rejoining the fight.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

The Grimm used its arms to grab hold of each of us, but was continually distracted by the fire of the next one.

"Guys, keep moving, go in a circle!" Jaune said.

We followed this plan, and it seemed to be working. However, I got distracted when Jaune sheathed his sword after landing a strike.

"What are you doing?" Ruby asked.

I smiled when I realized that Jaune was using his upgraded Crocea Mors to land strikes on the beast. I used a rope arrow to get on top of the building to fire arrows at the beast. However, the beast saw me and threw both of his arms at me. I dodged one but was hit by the second. I flew back and landed on my back and then fell off the roof and landed on the ground, breaking my aura.

 **Pov change: Ruby**

"Ryuki!" I yelled.

There was no time to wait, so we continued the fight. Ren ended up pinned to a building by one of the extended arms.

"Ruby!" Nora said.

I nodded and used Crescent Rose to launch Nora in between Ren and the Grimm's would-be fatal strike with its other hand. Neither of them were hurt luckily. And Nora's hammer was pinned to the building above Ren, with Nora dangling from it.

Ren looked up at Nora.

"Stop looking!" Nora pulled on her skirt.

"Ah-ugh." Ren said.

I rolled my eyes.

The Grimm flung Nora around until she was knocked to the ground with her Aura broken. Ren used StormFlower to give himself leverage to pull the hand off of him. He repeatedly went after the creature, exhibiting reckless behavior, his eyes wild.

"Ren! Knock it off!" Jaune said.

Ren ignored him and ended up on the ground beside Nora, separated from StormFlower and his Aura was depleted. The two partners rose together, Nora first. Ren's eyes were only on the creature, but Nora tackled him and dragged him under a building.

"What're they doing?" I asked.

"Let's just keep them protected."

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

I was sweating like crazy as I felt my arms change on purpose.

"Ry…ryu…Ryuki!" I opened my eyes.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

I managed to get back to see the Grimm was advancing on the others. I pulled out an arrow and fired, getting its attention.

"Ryuki get back!" Ruby yelled.

I pulled out another arrow and fired at it. It began to charge towards me, much to Ruby's horror. I felt tired… so tired…

However, before the Grimm made it to me, we heard a scream. On the rooftop a figure jumped up and landed on the Grimm. It was Satoshi with Grimm hands.

He raised his fist and punched the Grimm into the ground before it kicked Satoshi back.

"A little help… I can only keep this up for so long!" Satoshi said.

I nodded and fired a rope arrow at the beast's arm, and pulled on it. As we attacked, ren and Nora appeared. They noticed Satoshi and smiled.

"Ren. Jaune, Ryuki, and I can take care of its arms." Ruby said.

"Satoshi and I'll take care of the horse." Nora said.

"And I'll take care of the rest." Ren said.

Nora headed to a rooftop while Satoshi waited. Ruby used herself as a target until she managed to pin an arm to the ground with the tip of Crescent Rose. I tired my rope to a tree and it stayed still. I grabbed my bow and pulled out another rope arrow. Ren's knife was flung and embedded itself into the body of the Grimm. Jaune was positioned to be the next target as Ren used Jaune's shield to pin down the other arm. I ran up and fired another rope arrow on the Grimm and ran over to the tree and tied it again.

"Now!" Ren said.

Jaune struck his sword through the Grimm's arm into the ground.

"Nora! Satoshi!" Ren said.

Satoshi used his Grimm claws and ran past all of the Grimm's legs, slashing them, keeping the horse in place.

Nora freefell from the roof and landed a killing blow to the head of the horse. Ren retrieved his knife and walked before the trapped Grimm.

"For my mother." Ren said.

He cut off the Grimm's left arm.

"For my father."

He cut off the Grimm's right arm.

He struck a gash into the flailing torso.

Ren closed his eyes.

"For myself." Ren said.

He opened his eyes and swung with the knife, beheading the grimm. It died in a pillar of black smoke. Ren dropped the knife and breathed out a sigh of relief only to be tackled by a giggling, triumphant Nora. He hugged her back and gave a single laugh.

"Did I miss something?" Satoshi asked as his arms went back to normal. He started to stagger and fell to one knee. I ran up and hugged him.

"Hey Ryuki…" he smiled. "Is anyone else super tired?"

We all chuckled when Ruby realized something. She ran into the alley where Qrow was left during the fight. It sounded like he was still alive.

"Guys! I think I hear something!" Jaune said.

We looked up and saw two airships coming. Thank god.

We helped Satoshi and Qrow on and got on.

The two rescue ships took off, everyone on board.

"How did you find us out here?" Jaune asked.

"We were on patrol and saw the smoke. Nobody's been out here for years, thought something might be wrong." The pilot said.

"What if we don't make it in time?" Ruby asked.

"Ruby." Jaune said.

I tapped her shoulder and pointed. She looked up and saw the flourishing city before us.

"We made it, Uncle Qrow." Ruby said.

I placed my hand on Ruby's and she smiled.

"We made it." She said.

I kissed her on the lips before going back to see how Satoshi was doing.

 **Later**

Ruby and I walked into the double bed accommodation. It had barren furnishings: two beds, a large desk and a nightstand. Qrow slept under the blankets of one of the beds. Ruby set the collapsed Crescent Rose on the empty bed and walkee over to Qrow, putting her hand on his head.

I tapped her on the shoulder and showed her the piece of paper and pen. She smiled and walked over to sit at the desk, picking up the pen and writing on the notepad.

'Hey sis, I hope my letters have been reaching you and Dad. Hand-written stuff's never been super reliable, but I guess it's all we've got these days. Anyway, in case you haven't been getting them, I want to say I'm sorry for leaving the way I did. I know you told me it was a reckless idea, and after everything I've been through, I can definitely say you were right. It's been hard, on all of us, and I'm not just talking about the monsters we fought out here. Every step we made took us further and further from the things we knew. And every morning we woke up wondering, if just over the next hill would be something good or something terrible. It's scary not knowing what's going to happen next. And the things we do know now—just how bad it can get—it almost makes it all worse. You told me once that bad things just happen. You were angry when you said it, and I didn't want to listen. But you were right, bad things do happen, all the time, every day. Which is why I'm out here, to do whatever I can, wherever I can, and hopefully do some good. We've all lost something, and I've seen what loss can do to people. But if we gave up every time we lost, then we'd never be able to move forward. We'd never have a chance to see what beautiful things the future might have waiting for us. We'd never have the strength to change; whether it's ourselves, or the world around us. And we'd never be there for other people who might one day be lost without us. This is what we were training for, Yang, to become Huntresses, to be the ones to stand up and do something about all the bad in the world. Because there are plenty of people out there who are still lost and even more who will try to gain everything they can from their sorrow. Believe me when I say, I know it can feel impossible, like every single day is a struggle against some unstoppable monster we can never hope to beat. But we have to try, if not for us, then for the people we've already-'

Ruby stopped and crossed out the last few words as she altered her statement.

'Then for the people we haven't lost yet. I miss you so much. I miss Weiss and Blake too. But I think you'd all be proud to know that I made it to Mistral. All of us did, and we even ran into Uncle Qrow along the way. And… we ran into someone that I never thought we'd run into for a million years, Yang. Satoshi. Satoshi is alive and he's here.'

Qrow pushed himself over with one arm and grunted while propping up his head with the other hand. Ruby stopped writing to check on him.

"Hey, aren't I normally the one saving you?" Qrow asked.

Ruby wiped tears from her right eye and smiled down at Qrow.

'He's going to take us to see Professor Lionheart, the headmaster of Haven Academy. And he told us some things that you're gonna wanna hear, things I can't trust will make it to you in this letter. But maybe, if you join us, he could tell you himself. With Beacon gone they'll need Dad at Signal more than ever, and I know you need to focus on yourself before I can expect you to come out with me. But it sure would be great to get Team RWBY back together again. And who knows, Tatsumi and Sydney may be here and we can have team STRS back. Until next time, your loving sister, Ruby Rose.

Oh! Uh, PS. I'll be sure to give you the address of where we're staying in Mistral! I'd love to hear back from you and Dad, and I can't wait to fill you in on whatever's going to happen next! Now that we've made it across Anima I really think things are gonna start going our way.'

I left them together and walked into my room to see Satoshi was up and had most of his color back. He was enjoying some bread and soup.

"Hey." He said.

I walked up and punched him in the face.

"OW!" Satoshi groaned.

I then quickly hugged him.

"I'm sorry." He said.

I looked at him with tears in my eyes.

'Never do that to me again.' I said.

He nodded.

 **Pov change: Qrow**

I was enjoying my drink when I heard a kid behind me.

"Excuse me?" I heard.

I turned around to face the kid.

"You know, I don't think they allow kids in here, pipsqueak." I said.

"Shut up, I'm getting there." He said.

I gave him a questioning look.

"Um, I'm supposed to tell you, I'd like my cane back and how are the twins?"

My eyes widened for a moment in surprise.

"It's good to see you again, Oz." I said as I drew Ozpin's cane in its compact mode and tossed it to him, who pressed a button on the hilt, extending the baton.


	51. Chapter 51

**Ryuki trailer**

I slightly remember Tatsumi telling me where he lived, so I got out of bed to get ready. As I got dressed, I saw the eyepatch that was left for me. It's been six months since I've worn the last one. But if it keeps Satoshi and I safe, I will wear it again. I put it on and walked out of the room. I walked into Satoshi's room and shook him awake.

"Hey…" Satoshi opened his eyes.

I smiled and nodded.

'I'm going to find Tatsumi and maybe Sydney.' I said.

"I should come." Satoshi said as he began to get out of bed.

'You're still weak.' I said.

"Nothing a simple walk will take care of." Satoshi said.

He got up and stared at me before cupping my cheek.

"I always hated that thing." He said.

'It keeps us safe. Please just put it on for me.' I said.

He nodded and walked over to his dresser to get dressed.

A few minutes went by and Satoshi was dressed and ready to go.

We walked out to see Qrow and Ruby were talking about their morning.

"Qrow you can't be drunk again…" Ruby said.

"Shhhhh…"

Ruby looked at me and saw us dressed.

"You guys looking for Tatsumi and Sydney?" Ruby asked.

I nodded.

"Well make sure that you don't stay out too long." Ruby said.

We nodded and walked out of the house.

We started to walk for about fifteen minutes when we realized… we were lost.

"Oh boy…" Satoshi said.

"Excuse me, do I know you two?" We heard behind us.

We looked and saw an Atlesian soldier.

"No I don't think so." Satoshi said.

The soldier looked at me.

"What's your name?" He asked.

'Ryuki.' I said.

His eyes widened.

"Has it really been this long?" He asked.

"Do we know you?" I saw Satoshi's arms shaping.

"It's me. Shane. Shane Orbeck. I gave you the sign language book." Shane said.

My eyes widened when I realized that it was him. I hugged him as he returned the hug.

"Hey Ryuki. Which means… you must be Sato…shi…" he said.

Satoshi seemed angry.

"Didn't you die?" Shane asked.

"That's what I thought too." Satoshi said.

'We need help.' I said.

"Anything you need." Shane said.

"Where's the Tatsumi residence?" Satoshi asked.

"Well… I don't know exactly, but it's near the market. Just take a left and go down that path." Shane said as he pulled out a piece of paper. "If you need anymore assistance just give me a call."

I took the paper and we walked away after waving goodbye.

"I don't like that guy." Satoshi said.

'You never liked anyone.'

"I did…" Satoshi looked down.

I saw this and looked down.

I can't tell him, it will just make him feel even worse.

We reached the market. As we looked, I saw a girl with dog ears and she seemed like she was in a hurry. Tapped Satoshi and pointed. We began to follow her when we saw her go down an alley, followed by some older guy. We ran up to the alley and heard fighting, but when we looked, we only saw two knocked out guys.

"Of course Sydney didn't need help." Satoshi said.

We walked down the path and saw her again, hurrying up the steps and opening and shutting a door.

We walked up to the door and knocked.

"If you guys want another ass kicking, I swear to god I will-" Sydney opened the door to stop as soon as she saw us.

"Well I think that I could use the training, I'm a bit rusty." Satoshi said.

Sydney stepped back a bit before she fainted.

"Sydney?!" We heard.

Tatsumi ran in, shirtless and holding his sword. As soon as he saw us, he dropped it and stared at us, specifically Satoshi.

"S-Satoshi?" He asked.

"Hey Tats." Satoshi said.

He couldn't find any words to say, so he just ran up and squeezed Satoshi tightly.

"You undying son of a bitch." Tatsumi said.

 **Later**

We made it back to the house where we all caught up with everyone. Sydney was still amazed that Satoshi was alive… hell I still can't believe it.

"So kid," Qrow said to Tatsumi, "how's Haven?"

 **Pov change: Tatsumi**

I looked at Sydney and she nodded.

"Things are… suspicious. We went to go ask the headmaster what we can do to help, but no one was there. No teachers or students. Before we could ask what was going on, he told us to leave." I said.

Qrow seemed upset.

"That's not all." Sydney said.

"What?" Ruby asked.

"We tried to go back but before we left, we got this note." I said.

Sydney pulled out the paper and opened it. It showed a drawing of torn off dog ears.

'You go near the school, this happens.'

Ryuki lifted her hand to show concern.

"Our place is safe. You can stay here for the time being." Nora said.

Ruby nodded.

"Good, that gives us time to train." I smashed my knuckles together.

We looked at Satoshi and Ryuki.

'Let's get started.' Ryuki said.


	52. Chapter 52

**Pov: Ryuki**

"The City of Mistral..." Qrow said.

"Ugh! It's about time!" Nora said.

We were all walking through a stone brick tunnel that was illuminated by translucent lanterns. Tatsumi and Sydney were at home, safe.

"Whose idea was it to walk again?" Nora asked.

"Well, we did face many obstacles. Broken airships, destroyed settlements..." Ren said.

"Oh, and, you know, all those people and monsters that tried to murder us." Jaune said.

"Pfft, we were fine. Only one of us almost died." Ruby said.

"Hey." Qrow said.

'We also got someone back.' I said.

We looked to see Satoshi who was looking up ahead.

"So, how much farther to Haven Academy?" Jaune asked.

"Almost there. But I figured I'd take you kids on the scenic route." Qrow said.

We approached a pair of large, wooden double doors, which Qrow opened, flooding the tunnel with sunlight. Ruby ran out onto a massive platform that doubled as an elevator, stopping at the railing to gaze out over the city in wide-eyed awe.

"Wow!" Ruby said.

I ran up and saw the view as well.

I reached over and held Ruby's hand as we saw the beautiful city.

The others joined us to take in the view of buildings and stone stairways perched on mountains.

"This... is... awesome!" Ruby said.

"It's certainly something." Qrow said.

Ruby was looking around when she saw the weapons vendor.

"Oh my gosh, look at all the weapons!" Ruby said.

'Maybe we can get a weapon for Satoshi.' I said.

"Please make it cool." Ruby begged Satoshi.

"Okay." Satoshi said.

"Vendors here'll sell you just about anything... whether they should or not." Qrow said.

"They really made the most out of these mountains." Jaune said.

"Every inch. Stay away from the lower levels. The higher up you go, the nicer it gets." Qrow said.

"And we are going up!" Nora pointed upward.

 **Pov change: Weiss**

"So, how much farther?" I asked.

"We're in the home stretch now." The pilot said. "No more stops from here to Mistral. Sorry for the long trip. Keeping us off the radar's been harder than I thought. Lots of air traffic around northern Anima."

"It's fine. I... just hope I haven't been a burden." I said.

"You and your money are more than welcome on this ship, kid." The pilot said.

The radio suddenly picked up a transmission.

"What the...?" The pilot asked.

He reached over and adjusted a slider, evening out the wavelengths on the screen.

"Is everything okay?" I asked.

"I don't know. We're still over Lake Matsu. Shouldn't be picking up broadcasts this far from Mistral. Someone must be close." The pilot said.

'Mayday, mayday! We are a small passenger flight, and our Huntress is down! We aren't equipped to deal with this!'

"Oh man." The pilot said.

'The Grimm hit us 400 klicks north of the southern shoreline!'

My eyes widened as the sound of an explosion went off and the person on the radio gasped.

'Get them off us! If anyone can hear this- Ah!'

The transmission suddenly ended. The pilot turned off his radio and turned the ship. I walked over to him and grabbed onto a handle on the ceiling.

"We're going to help them, right?" I asked.

"What? No. I'm trying to avoid them." He said.

"But... they'll die." I said.

"Look, if we picked up their transmission, I'm sure someone else did, too. Besides, this is a cargo ship. She's not much good in a fight. I just wanna finish this job and get home. Sorry, kid. My ship, my rules." The pilot said.

I closed my eyes for a moment, then gazed out the windshield as the ship turned to the right and continued flying over the lake.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

All of us entered the campus grounds of Haven Academy, which seemed completely deserted. We stopped in a courtyard, where Ruby smiled and wiped a tear from her eye. Jaune placed a hand on her shoulder as she sighed.

"We made it." Ruby said.

I walked up and held Ruby's hand.

'Let's go finish our task.' I said.

We all began to walk in. As much as I like being here though, this place being empty… feels like a ghost town.

"Hello?" Ruby asked.

We went inside and followed Qrow through the corridors.

"Hello?!" Ruby asked louder.

"Maybe try louder?" Nora asked.

'Please no.' I said.

"There doesn't seem to be anyone here." Ren said.

"Well, I guess school isn't really in session right now. Maybe that's it." Jaune said.

"Then where are the teachers?" Satoshi asked.

"Vacation?" Ruby asked.

"No, this isn't right. Come on." Qrow said as he hurried ahead.

"Wait for us!" Ruby said.

We picked up the pace to catch up, and soon, all of us were running to a pair of wooden double doors. Qrow came to a stop in front of them, drew his sword, and extended the blade.

"Get ready. There could be trouble." Qrow said.

We all followed his lead in drawing our weapons, with the exception of Satoshi who got into a fighting stance. Qrow brought up his foot and kicked the door open. Just on the other side, an older man stood there. He widened his eyes, threw his hands into the air, and let out a frightened scream. Jaune, Ruby, Satoshi, myself, and Nora widened our eyes and screamed as well, while Ren gave the man a confused stare. Standing on one foot with his eyes wide, Qrow suddenly looked down, lost his balance, and fell. Shortly after, the man made a noise and briefly fainted. We let our weapons down and stared, dumbfounded, while Qrow sat up.

"Uh, Professor Lionheart?" Ruby asked.

Lionheart gasped and sat up.

"Qrow! For crying out loud, you nearly scared me half to death!" Lionheart said.

Qrow stood up with a growl.

"Me? Why weren't you waiting for us at the entrance?" Qrow asked.

"Huh? Oh, right. Apologies. I guess time slipped away from me." He checked his watch.

"You're joking." Qrow said.

While Lionheart stood up and we put our weapons away, Nora asked a question.

"Where is everybody?" Nora asked.

"Ah, you must be the students Qrow mentioned." Lionheart said.

"Yes, sir. Ruby Rose." Ruby saluted.

"Jaune Arc." Jaune said.

"Nora Valkyrie." Nora said;

"Lie Ren." Ren said.

"Satoshi Suni and my twin Ryuki Suni." Satoshi spoke for me.

"A pleasure to meet you all. Leonardo Lionheart, at your service. I'm afraid most of my staff is currently away until classes resume, but-"

Qrow suddenly leaned in towards Lionheart.

"What? Leo, you can't be serious. Who's guarding the Relic?"

"Qrow, the children."

"Already know. I filled them in. What do you mean your staff is away?" Qrow asked.

"You... filled them in?" Leo asked.

"So, is this not going at all like anyone thought it would?" Nora asked.

 **Pov change: Blake**

In the front room of the house, dad and Sun burst in through the front door, angry. Mom watched from the front porch.

"Unbelievable!" Dad said.

"Total garbage!" Sun said.

"We can't let them get away with this!" Both of them said.

"Well, at least you two can finally agree on something." Mom said.

"Guys. Everything's going to be okay." I said.

 **Later**

I stepped out onto the balcony and saw a guard look at me.

"Good evening, miss. Can I get you anything?" They asked.

"Just a little time to myself, if that's alright." I said.

"Sure thing. Just call, if you need me." The guard said.

I sighed before hearing a familiar voice.

"You need better security." Ilia said.

Alarmed, I turned to see Ilia drop down onto the railing. I reached for the door, but Ilia held her hand up.

"Please! I-I just need to talk." Ilia said.

I slowly took my hand away from the door.

"How could you take the fall for them, Ilia?" I asked.

"Blake..." she began.

"Corsac and Fennec blamed you. We confronted them tonight, and they deny knowing anything and everything found on your Scroll. They talked about how disappointed they were to hear that you'd sided with Adam. But you and I both know they're guilty." I said.

"You can't prove anything." Ilia said.

"That Scroll might not have been enough to lock them up, but it's enough to sway the Faunus here. When we go public tomorrow, they're not going to stand for any of it. And neither should you." I said.

Ilia removed her mask, a solemn expression on her face.

"Your plan isn't gonna work, Blake. Please... just leave Menagerie before it's too late." Ilia said.

I stared at her in silence for a few moments.

"You're going to have to make me." I said.

"I know." She said.

With that, Ilia donned her mask once again and stepped backward off the balcony. I turned away and got upset. After a moment, the anger faded, and I sighed.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

Qrow and all of us were gathered in Lionheart's office, with the headmaster sitting behind his desk.

"I have to say, Qrow, this all seems very reckless, even for you." Lionheart said.

"No, reckless is leaving one of the Relics completely unguarded. It's not checking in with Oz for ages!" Qrow said.

"There was nothing to check in about before the fall of Beacon, but since that day, Mistral has been in chaos! Vale wasn't the only Kingdom to suffer that night. Everyone was watching. Every house in every Kingdom saw that poor girl ripped to pieces, saw monsters crawling over the city, that boy become a Grimm, Atlesian Knights attacking citizens... and then nothing. You could feel the dread in the air. With all that negativity, you can imagine what it was like when the Grimm came for us. Mistral's territory is the widest reaching in the world, you know, and that makes it infinitely harder to protect. We lost so many great Huntsmen, teachers from this very institution. And it's only gotten worse." Lionheart said.

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked.

"We may have dealt with the Grimm, but the Mistral council's still at odds with representatives from Atlas. First, it was the Dust embargo, now it's the closing of borders. I'm not sure what happened to James in Vale, but it seems to have only worsened some of his more unfortunate tendencies. And, on top of everything, we still don't know where the Spring Maiden is."

"All the more reason we need the Huntsmen and Huntresses here!" Qrow said.

"Okay! Okay. Things are bad; they're bad. But we can figure this out. Why is the Spring Maiden so important?" Ruby asked.

"I thought you filled them in." Lionheart said.

"Mostly filled in. Look, there's a lot to cover, okay? I quit teaching for a reason." Qrow drank from his flask.

"The four Maidens each have the power to perform feats of magic, and they are the only ones capable of reaching the Relics."

"What?" Jaune asked.

"The Relics are each locked inside a chamber that can only be opened by a specific Maiden. Winter for the gift of Creation, Summer for Destruction, Fall for Choice and Spring for Knowledge. Spring is the problem." Qrow said.

"What happened to her?" Ren asked.

"She was determined, at first, when she inherited her powers, but the weight of responsibility proved to be too much for the child. She... ran. Abandoned her training, everyone. That was over a decade ago. There's no telling where she could be now." Lionheart said.

"I... know. At least... I have a pretty good idea." Qrow said.

"Are you serious?" Lionheart asked.

"It's not exactly good news."

"What are you talking about? This is incredible news! After all these years! Where?!"

"I did some digging around. Looks like, after Spring ran away, she was picked up by bandits, specifically the Branwen tribe." Qrow said.

"Raven." Lionheart said.

"Yang's mom?" Jaune asked.

"That's right."

Qrow pulled out his Scroll, walking over to and placing it on Lionheart's desk. The hologram monitor on the desk displayed a map of Remnant.

"That's about where they've set up their main camp. It's where they fall back to after raids and scouting missions. Raven's managed to gain a lot of followers since she returned to the tribe, and I'm sure when the Spring Maiden showed up, it only made things easier."

"Well, Qrow, I've got to hand it to you. With these coordinates, we can mount a retrieval force and head out in a few weeks." Lionheart said.

Lionheart walked over to the computer, while Qrow clenched his fists.

"A few weeks?" Qrow asked.

"That's right." Lionheart said.

"Leo, maybe you didn't hear me. My sister has the Spring Maiden, and I know where she is. We need to go, as soon as possible!" Qrow said.

"And perhaps you didn't hear me. This Kingdom is in shambles. 'As soon as possible' does not mean tomorrow. It means, as soon as I can convince the council that I need Huntsmen more than they do. Unfortunately, bandit tribes aren't very high on their list of priorities when the threat of war is just on the horizon." Lionheart said.

"Then damn the council. We'll do it ourselves. You and I are trained Huntsmen and these kids aren't exactly pushovers." Qrow said.

"Yeah!" Nora said.

"Perhaps there's a more peaceful way to approach this?" Ren asked.

'We need to get Spring as far away from here as possible. And Raven isn't going to give up her most prized possession without a fight." Qrow said.

"Unfortunately, you and your sister are evenly matched. And I'm not the fighter I used to be. No offense, but these students and I can't take on an entire bandit tribe and a Maiden that's no doubt had years to hone her skills. We need to be positive we can apprehend Spring, because if we fail Raven and her tribe will scatter. And we'll be lost. We get one shot at this. And it needs to be perfect." Lionheart said.

"You know Oz wouldn't be happy with any of this if he were here." Qrow said.

"Perhaps you're right. But he's not. I'm doing the very best I can." Lionheart said.

"There has to be something we can do." Ruby said.

"What about Cinder? She came with Emerald and Mercury from Haven. Do you have anything on them?" Jaune asked.

"We pulled their files after the Fall of Beacon. Nothing but lies and forgeries."

We saw jaune get visibly upset when Qrow spoke.

"Well, I can't say this has been a warm reunion, Leo." Qrow said.

"I'm sorry. I know you've all traveled a long way. But I will do everything I can to help." Lionheart said.

"Sure. We'll stay in the city for the time being. Local comms are still up. Keep in touch. Come on, kids." Qrow said.

We all begin to file out of the room. At the end, Ruby and I turned around to face Lionheart again.

"It was nice meeting you, Professor." Ruby said.

"Likewise." Lionheart said.

'We can do this.' I said.

"I'm sure that both of you alone are more than capable of doing this task." Lionheart said as we walked out.

 **Pov change: lionheart**

After the two girls departed, I hung my head, stressed. That's when the other voice in the room spoke.

'Oh, Leo. We have got to work on your improvisational skills.'

"You got what you wanted. Now will you leave me alone?" I asked.

'But you have just started and you have given us even more than you know. You just found our missing Grimm boy and his twin sister.' Watts said.

 **Pov change: Qrow**

The kids and I walked back down the academy hallway. The orange one was the first to stop and speak.

"So, what do we do now?" She asked.

"You all head back to the house. I need a drink." I said.

I walked off, leaving the kids to go back home.

 **Later**

I sat at the bar, alone and looking down at my glass, not drinking.

"Excuse me." I heard.

I turned to see the kid.

"You know, I don't think they allow kids in here, pipsqueak." I said.

He looked at me for a second before turning his head to the side and speaking softly.

"Shut up, I'm getting there." He said.

Now I was interested.

"Umm... I'm supposed to tell you... I'd like my cane back and how are the twins?"

I blinked and closed my eyes for a brief moment before nodding with a slight smile. I stood up off of the bar stool and faced him, causing the kid to take a couple steps back. I lifted the collapsed cane off of my hip.

"Hmm. It's good to see you again, Oz." I said as I tossed it at the kid, who caught it reflexively.

 **Pov change: Yang**

Bumblebee was parked outside, getting some gas.

"Aren't you a little young to be drinking?" The bartender asked.

I took off my aviator sunglasses.

"A water. It's hot out." I said.

"Ohhh. Sure."

As he went to get the drink, I heard drunk laughing down the bar.

"Are you telling me you're too young to drink? You look like a regular Huntress. And a beauty at that." He said.

"I'm good. Thanks, pal." I said.

"Seriously. Not too bulky. Not too lean. You're..."

"Just right. Yup. Like I said, I'm good." I said.

"And your hair-"

"Back off buddy." I said.

"Hey neat sword, where did you-"

I grabbed his wrist before he could touch Satoshi's sword. When I turned to face him, my eyes were glowing red.

"Huh?" He asked.

He barely glanced in the correct direction before my metal fist slammed into the side of his face. He ended up out of the bar.

"This one's on the house. He's been driving me crazy." The bartender handed me the drink.

I reached for the drink but my hand hesitated. I calmed down and drank the water.

"You know he is right, that there is Atlesian steel. Was it a gift?" The bartender asked.

"It… belonged to someone I knew once…" I said as I started drinking again.

"Oh…So, what brings you around these parts?" The bartender changed the subject.

I held up my finger, still drinking until the water is gone.

"Thanks. And I'm, uh, looking for someone." I said.

"Not too many people come out here. Too far from the Kingdoms. Only person worth notin' around here is... well, Ra—"

"Raven Branwen. Thanks again." I said.

"N-now, missy! You don't want to go messin' with bandits! They're a world of trouble!" Teh bartender said.

"So I hear." I said.

Outside, the shady guy was on the ground holding his face, but he called out to me as I straddled and engaged Bumblebee.

"Hey, girlie!" He said.

"Seriously? This isn't over?" I asked.

"I heard you're... looking for someone. Heh." He gave me a toothless grin.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

Tatsumi and Sydney were asleep, Ryuki was with Ruby, leaving Jaune, Ren, Nora, and I sitting on a pair of red couches in the living room when there's a knock on the door. We tensed and looked at each other before Jaune cautiously went to open it. A little kid was on the other side. Jaune looked back over his shoulder at the us, and Nora shrugged.

"Can I... help you?" Jaune asked.

"Um... yeah. Is there a Ruby Rose here?" He asked.

We immediately stood up, tense and defensive.

"Why?" Nora asked.

"Well..."

Suddenly Qrow appeared, drunk.

"I found him!" Qrow said.

Qrow snorted into his hand and continued laughing as he stumbled into the house.

"I think her uncle could use some help." The kid said.

"Whoa. Ugh. I found him." Qrow said as he fell on the couch.

"What is going on out there?! Can't a girl and her girlfriend read their comics in peace?"

Qrow burped and chuckled, catching Ruby's attention. Ruby sighed and put a hand to her forehead exasperatedly.

"Qrow, did you get drunk again?" Ruby asked.

"Maybe." Qrow said.

'Again?' Ryuki asked.

"Oh. You have silver eyes." The kid said.

He looked at Ryuki and I.

"And you're the twins." He said.

Ruby looked at him, a touch surprised. She turned to us, who shrugged again, before looking back at the kid.

"Who... are you?" Ruby asked.

Qrow chuckled from the couch.

"Uh... Well. My name is Oscar Pine."

"Wait for it..." Qrow said.

"But you probably know me as... Professor Ozpin." Oscar said.

"…what?" I asked.

"I did it!" Qrow raised his fists into the air.

He fell off the couch onto the floor, startling Nora.

"Ooh!" Nora yelped as she saw him hit the floor


	53. Chapter 53 (100k words woohoo)

**Pov: Leo**

"Are we ready?" Watts asked.

I lifted my head to look at Watts as he closed the door behind him and stepped into the room. A brief exchange of looks was made as I turned my head away from Watts who smirked in response. The two of us soon entered the secret hallway adjacent to my office. At the end of the curved hallway was a circular room containing a Seer.

"After you." Watts said as he pushed Lionheart closer to the Seer Grimm.

"Your Grace, are… you there?" I asked.

The red smoke-like substance contained in the head of the Seer shifted to form an image of Salem and Cinder.

'Hello, Leonardo. Do you have something to report?' Salem asked.

"Of course, ma'am. I would not waste your time, if not." I said.

"I'm still just so fascinated by this creature. Cinder dear, are we coming through? Can you see us clearly? Well, as clearly as you can." Watts tapped the Seer.

'Shut… up.' Cinder said.

"Oh goody, you've recovered." Watts said.

'Your report. What is it?' Salem said.

"I've… I've found the Spring Maiden." I said.

'Is that so? Well done. Arthur, had I known how useful you'd be in expediting this process, I would've sent you long, long ago.'

"As much as I'd love to take credit, ma'am, I can't say that either of us are to thank for this development. I guess you could say, a little birdie told us." Watts said.

'Explain.'

"You see, ma'am, Qrow Branwen arrived at Haven Academy earlier today. He believes Spring has taken residence with his sister's tribe."

'Is... the girl... with him?' Cinder asked.

"Yes, Miss Rose was in attendance. And what is even better is that Satoshi Suni and his sister were here as well." I said.

'Interesting… And you know of the tribe's location?' Salem asked.

"Yes ma'am! But you have to hurry! Qrow is already at odds with my-" I began.

The Seer's tentacles shot out to wrap around my throat and choke me.

'Leonardo, do you remember the first time we met? I remember. I remember your fear. But, since that day, you've been extraordinarily brave. I won't forget all that you've done for me. Do not forget everything that I can do to you.' She said.

The Seer slowly brought the point of another tentacle close to my face before drawing it back and releasing me as I coughed on the ground.

'Cinder, you and your team will meet with Doctor Watts after he returns, and together, convince Raven Branwen that the survival of her people depends on her cooperation. Once you have Spring under control, escort her to the Relic and contact Hazel. The White Fang was promised the destruction of Haven, and they'll have it once we have what we need.'

"Understood." Watts said.

'Not you, Arthur. Tyrian's in need of a new tail.'

"What happened to his old one?"

'Guess.'

"The silver-eyed girl?" Watts asked.

Cinder grunted as acknowledgement.

"It will be done." Watts said.

'Good. I also must ask you to make something new for the twins.'

"Very well, your grace." Watts said.

The image of Salem disappeared from the Seer to show the connection had ended.

"Seems Qrow was right, Lionheart. The students aren't pushovers." Watts said.

I looked down.

 **Pov change: Salem**

"You're free to speak your mind." I said.

"I don't understand. Working with bandits? Keeping Ruby alive? The fixation on the twins? What's the point? We're strong enough to take what we want by force!

"Never underestimate the usefulness of others. Take Leonardo; he was one of Ozpin's most trusted, and yet now… You will have the power I promised you, when the time is right. But remember that it comes with a cost. If Ruby Rose has learned to harness her gift, then you must take care to protect yours. There's only so much I can do to aid you. As for the twins, you recall how strong Satoshi was when he was on our side. Imagine how powerful we would be if he and his sister were on our side."

Cinder bowed and began to exit the room.

"And Cinder, before you go, inform Tyrian… that I wish to have a word with him." I said.

Cinder smiled, nodded in acknowledgement of my order and turned, leaving the room. I walked over to the book and opened it to see the changed fate.

'Brother and sister shall be side by side until the end, their destiny unknowns to them. For it is their destiny to stop the evil.'

I gritted my teeth and hit the wall.

 **Pov change: Weiss**

As the cargo ship flew over Lake Matsu, I was still somber over being unable to help the Mistralian cargo pilots, when suddenly I noticed to my right a series of landmasses floating in the bright blue, partly cloudy sky, with what appears to be black crystals jutting out from the bottom of the rock formations. Puzzled, I then decided to head into the pilot's cabin.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"Nowhere good. Passing by some of Lake Matsu's floating islands. The gravity Dust that forms in these things is giving us a little turbulence. Nothing I can't handle, but the islands sometimes hide some nasty Grimm. I'm just betting on our friends in distress keeping them preoccupied."

I suddenly noticed an airship was seen quickly heading towards us, on fire, and leaving a giant trail of smoke behind it.

"Look out!" I yelled.

The airship came barreling from our right, narrowly hitting our ship and forcing the pilot to pull upward to avoid it. The doomed craft, bearing a white symbol for Mistral on its sail, proceeded to collide into one of the floating islands.

"You've got to be kidding me!" The pilot said

'By the gods, we've lost Percy! Help!' I heard. 'We're hooked! We're hooked! Everyone, abandon ship!'

I saw the Grimm tear apart their ship and exploded, leaving us for the Grimm.

"Lancers, freaking Lancers! Alright buckle up- Huh?" The pilot asked.

I jumped down to the cargo hold.

'What are you doing?' I heard.

"What we should've done in the first place! You're carrying Dust, right?" I asked.

'Officially, no. Actually, yes.' I heard.

I opened a large container of vials of powdered Dust and loaded my weapon Myrtenaster with six of them.

"Then when I tell you, open the rear door!" I said.

'Better make it quick!' The pilot said.

I heard the ship shake.

'Kid, we're cutting it close!'

I Summoned a black glyph underneath me to keep myself stuck to the ship as I readied my sword in front of me.

"Ready!" I said.

The cargo doors opened and the battle began. Using glyphs and Dust, I succeeded in eliminating one of the Grimm.

'Haha! Hold on!' The pilot said.

I eliminated five more while the pilot continued to do evasive maneuvers. I got knocked off balance when the cargo ship rocked.

"Ah! What was that?!" I asked.

The upper level of the cargo ship had Lancer stingers sticking in through the ceiling.

'We're hooked!' The pilot said. 'I got an idea! Hold on! Literally!'

The pilot accelerated the ship towards one of the floating islands, waiting until the last possible moment before suddenly diving and using the remaining forward momentum to throw the Lancers on the ship off into the side of the rock formation.

'Ha ha!' The pilot laughed.

"Can you find a pair of islands we can fit between?" I asked.

'Kid, you are reading my mind!' The pilot said.

As the cargo ship narrowly avoided the close islands walls and the attacking Lancers, I fired three fireballs from my glyphs to destroy an overhanging rock formation. The attack caused debris that killed the attacking Grimm.

'Yeah! Great going, kid! We are in the clear!'

Immediately after I exhaled in relief, a Lancer significantly larger than the rest suddenly appeared outside the cargo doors.

"It's a Queen Lancer!" I said.

'What?!' The pilot asked.

The Queen Lancer attacked and I was unable to stop it.

'Do something!' The pilot said.

I used most of the Dust crates to explode against the creature, but it survived unscathed.

'I can see the shoreline! Gods, we're not gonna make it!'

Regaining my composure, I Summoned my Arma Gigas.

"Pull up, now!" I said.

The pilot caused the cargo ship to pull up and ascend further into the air, before maneuvering to have the vehicle upside down. During this, the Arma Gigas left the vehicle and dove towards the Queen Lancer. The Arma Gigas, controlled by me, managed to kill the Grimm. However, the cargo ship took too much damage and descended. I tried to use my Semblance to slow the ship's trajectory down, but it was not enough to prevent it from crash landing.

 **Pov change: Adam**

Inside the White Fang headquarters, I knelt before Sienna Khan, who was sitting on a throne flanked by two guards on either side of her.

"Adam. I'm not going to repeat myself, so I want you to listen when I tell you that the White Fang will not attack Haven Academy." She said.

"High Leader Khan, I am begging you." I said.

"You should beg for forgiveness and nothing else! The assault you led on Beacon was not the great victory you clearly think it was, and you should be more grateful your punishment was not more severe. You are a symbol for many in our organization, but that doesn't make you infallible."

"I was merely trying to follow your example, High Leader."

"And what example might that be?"

"Strength. Strength and unwavering conviction. The humans have seen that strength now." I said.

"I was one of the first to suggest violence where violence was necessary. Peace bred complacency and acceptance of our place in the world. I will not allow humanity to push us down without pushing them back. But the destruction of the Huntsman Academies crosses a line! The loss of the CCT has brought global communication to a crawl! And the White Fang is more of a target now than ever before! You have justified humanity's campaign against us, and for what?! Empty promises from a group of humans? Humans we still know nothing about, and come and go as they please! These are not examples of strength, Adam. They are examples of your talents being diminished by shortsightedness!"

"If you want to know more about the humans, then why not talk to one of them yourself?" I asked.

I rose and turned towards the entrance to the room.

"Hazel!" I said.

Hazel opened the doors to the large room.

"Took you long enough." He said.

As he enters, Sienna rose from her seat and her guards all point their spears toward Hazel.

"What is this?!" She asked.

"Apologies. I don't aim to cause any trouble." Hazel said.

"You've brought a human to this location?" Sienna asked.

"You should hear what he has to say."

"This is grounds for execution!"

"Ma'am, please. Nobody needs to die today. I'm just asking for a moment of your time." Hazel said.

"The longer you stay here, the less of a chance you have of leaving alive."

"I'll take those chances, if you don't mind." Hazel said.

Sienna sat back down, her guards returned to their neutral position and Hazel rose again before continuing to speak.

"You don't like me. You have no reason to like me. But you don't have to like me to get the results you want."

"I'm starting to doubt either of you fully comprehend what it is that I want. I want humanity to fear the Faunus, to know that we demand respect! I do not want to start a war with the humans that we cannot win!"

"That's where you're wrong. We can win a war against the humans. Not only because we have the support of Hazel's master, but because the Faunus are the dominant species of this planet. We're better than humans. We have everything humans have and more. Humans shouldn't just fear the Faunus, they should serve the Faunus."

"I've had enough of this conversation for tonight. Guards, take them away."

The guards remained stationary.

"I said, take them away!"

"I will admit, Sienna, you were right about my popularity. My followers in Vale already see me as the true High Leader. And many here in Mistral feel the same." I said.

Four armed White Fang soldiers entered through the main doors and stop, pointing their weapons into the room as Sienna rose to her feet.

"What are you doing?" Hazel asked.

"What's right for the Faunus. From this day forward, I will be the one to lead the White Fang."

Four more soldiers revealed themselves with their weapons drawn, two on each side of the room, as Sienna's guards point their weapons at her. Sienna quickly judged the situation, though taken by surprise. Her eyes narrowed darkly.

"If you think I'll just step aside and follow beneath you, you're wrong." Sienna said.

As she turned toward me, I had already impaled her with my blade.

"I know." I said.

He lifted the blade, making it slide deeper into her body and lifting it off the ground. Fists clenched, her body shook from the damage and I took advantage of her close proximity to rest a hand on her shoulder and speak into her ear.

"Thank you, Sienna. You were there when our people needed you, but they need me now. I'm sorry you couldn't see this through to the end." I said.

Sienna growled at this and lifted her hand to claw at my neck. Before she makes contact, I swiftly removed my weapon from Sienna, causing her body to fall to the ground and roll to the bottom of the steps leading up to her throne. The White Fang soldiers began to withdraw their weapons as Hazel looked down upon her body before returning his sight back to me with an annoyed look.

"Give our former leader a proper burial. All who were here tonight will claim that Sienna was murdered by a human Huntsman. Sienna Khan will become a martyr for our cause, her final act as High Leader." I said.

All of the White Fang soldiers left the room, two carrying Sienna's body with them on a stretcher, leaving Hazel and I the only ones remaining.

"When were you planning on telling me about that?"

I pulled out a cloth from my back pocket and slid it across my blade, cleaning it of Sienna's blood.

"This was my business, not yours." I said.

"It's our business now, and I don't appreciate you withholding things like that." Hazel said.

"Your master was concerned with Sienna's willingness to cooperate. Now she doesn't have to be." I said.

"Nobody needed to die today." Hazel said.

Hazel left the room as I sat down on the throne.

"I… disagree." I said. "Guard."

One of the members appeared.

"Yes sir?"

"Have Kagome and Shigou keep an eye on the school. We don't want anyone trying to get in without an invitation." I said.

"As you wish." The guard said as he left.

 **Pov change: Weiss**

The cargo ship had crashed. I was lying injured on the ground with my clothes dirtied as two people approached me.

"Help… please." I begged.

"What do you think?" One of them asked.

Suddenly, an older looking Yang appeared in between the two.

"I think… we just hit the jackpot." She said.

My face turned to one of concern as I looked up at her before she stomped on my face, causing me to lose consciousness and everything went dark.


	54. Chapter 54

**Pov: Blake**

Dad was wearing glasses and pacing back and forth looking at a piece of paper in his hands, while mo, myself, and Sun all waited for him to be ready. Dad then stopped pacing and took one last look at the speech he wrote down, before sighing as mom placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Are you ready?" Mom asked.

"Yes. It won't be easy for the people to hear, but the truth often isn't. I know they'll do the right thing." Dad said.

I then came up and placed a hand on dad's arm, giving an affectionate snuggle. Suddenly, the three of us were taken by surprise when another hand patted dad's back. He looked behind to see Sun.

"You got this." Sun said.

The three of us gave a brief look at Sun as he stood back and smiled. Dad then opened the doors as all of us and Sun stepped out of the home to greet the crowd gathering outside. Some people in the crowd were wearing press badges and holding scrolls up to record the event. Others in attendance include Corsac and Fennec, who were bowing their heads, and other Menagerie Guards. Dad stepped up to the podium and raised his hand to quiet the crowd down.

"Thank you all for assembling here. I wanted to take time to address some of the rumors that have been circulating around our island. I believe that it is important for the people of this territory to understand the truth. No matter how you feel about the human race, I think we can all agree that the event now known as the Fall of Beacon was a tragedy. A tragedy that will set both man and Faunus-kind back. While the main aggressor is still unknown, we do have official confirmation that Adam Taurus... the leader of a powerful splinter group working inside the White Fang, was partially responsible for these attacks. His actions not only tarnished the reputation of an organization originally created to bring peace and equality to all, but to our entire race. With each day that this man remains unpunished, it becomes increasingly difficult to condemn those that look down upon us. Recently, a spy from the same splinter group set their sights on this very home. My own daughter, Blake, and her friend did their very best to apprehend this individual. While they were unsuccessful after being physically assaulted and seriously injured, they were successful in obtaining the assailant's Scroll. With this, we have been able to ascertain that Adam Taurus has plans to overthrow the current leader of the White Fang, Sienna Khan, and take over the reins himself. His radical plans do not stop there, the documents on this scroll proclaim his next target to be Haven Academy and its attached CCT Tower. Their plan is to strike on the last full moon before the beginning of the Fall semester, roughly two months from today. I have sent my swiftest messenger to the government of Mistral, but I believe we have a greater responsibility. My relationship with the White Fang has been... an interesting one. Years ago, I led the organization to help try and create a world where I, and every Faunus who wished, could walk alongside the human race. And while I believe we made great strides toward this goal, it was made clear to me that the people both in and out of the White Fang wanted faster results. So I stepped down, and Sienna Khan was appointed as my successor. It's true that I do not fully condone many of her methods. What I do condone is what Sienna fights for: the idea that the Faunus and humans are, and should be, equal. Adam Taurus does not seem to have that goal in mind. What he has done benefits no one but himself. I think it's time that the Faunus showed the world that we are equals! Time that we snuff out this splinter group, and restore the White Fang to what it once was! To do this, I think the answer is clear, we must go to Haven and protect it at all costs! Before we proceed any further, I'd like to invite my daughter to come and share her story. Not only as a former member of the White Fang, but also as a survivor of the Fall of Beacon."

I stepped up to the podium and faced dad.

"You can do this." Dad said.

Suddenly, a familiar voice yelled out from the crowd.

"TRAITORS!" We heard.

Ilia uncloaked herself, wearing her Grimm mask and clenching her teeth angrily.

"Ilia..." Sun glared.

"Cowards... After everything the humans have done to us, everything they've put us through, you're asking us to help them?!"

"I know we haven't been treated fairly..." Dad said.

"Where was their help when the Dust companies treated our people like slaves?! Where was their help when Kingdoms hunted Faunus just for being who they are?! Where was my help when my parents were killed in a Dust mine?! WHERE?!"

"Young lady, progress takes patience and cooperation!" Dad said.

"The Belladonnas are the worse kind of Faunus! They want us to work with the same people that are trying to hold us down! Their daughter was even friends with the boy who became a Grimm and killed people. If you truly, truly want to help your people... now is the time to support Adam, not the Belladonnas! He will bring about the future that you deserve. And if you are unwilling to fight, know that the White Fang will do it for you!" Ilia said.

"SHUT UP!" Sun yelled as he leapt out of the crowd toward Ilia. However she used her weapon to get out of the way and flee. When Sun landed, he looked around to see where she went, but no sign of her was found.

"After her!" The guard said.

The guards moved to chase down Ilia. Dad and I angrily glared from the stage, while mom has a worried look on her face.

 **Pov: Ryuki**

Oscar was sitting on a red armchair, nervously looking at the all of us as we were curious about him.

"Did he age backwards?" Nora asked.

"He's possessed!" Jaune said.

"Or reincarnated!" Ren said.

"Oh! Isn't it weird?" Ruby asked.

I nodded my head.

"It is very weird, yes." Oscar said.

"Okay, okay. Let's all just take a second and remember that this is very overwhelming for everyone." Qrow said.

We all took a step back.

"Thanks." Oscar said.

Qrow then took a seat on the couch next to Oscar. Ruby, Nora, and myself took a seat on the couch perpendicular to Qrow's, while Jaune, Satoshi, and Ren remain standing. Tatsumi sat down and Sydney sat next to him. Oscar shared a brief look with Ruby, who giggled, causing Oscar to blush.

'I don't like him.' I said.

"Oh be nice." Ruby chuckled and hit my shoulder.

"What's wrong?" Oscar asked.

"Ruby and Ryuki are together." Jaune said.

It seemed to all hit Oscar.

"Ah, sorry! It's just I've never really met Huntsmen and Huntresses before." Oscar said.

"Well, uh... we've never met a person with two souls! So, first times all around." Ruby said.

"What about me? I've died before." Satoshi said.

'And you should not be so nonchalant about it.' I said.

We all chuckled.

Oscar smiled and chuckled at Ruby, before he heard Qrow clear his throat.

"Not to break up the whole 'getting-to-know-you' game, but we need to have a talk. Mind showing us your little parlor trick, kid?" Qrow asked.

"Yeah, okay. Just so you know, I'll still be here." Oscar said.

We all looked at him in confusion. Oscar then lowered his head and closed his eyes. Suddenly, a green and white aura shined from his body for a moment, Oscar opens up his eyes, which are now glowing, and he smiled. When he speaks, we heard a familiar voice overlapping with a bunch of other voices, including Oscar's.

"It is so very good to see you again, students." …Oscar said?

All of us shared brief looks of confusion.

"Wait, what just happened?" Jaune asked.

"Did they switch souls?" Sydney asked.

"Professor... Ozpin?" Ren asked.

"Correct. And though I may be the one speaking, Oscar is still present mentally. He's merely handed over the control, so to speak. I'm afraid this all must be very perplexing." Ozpin said.

"And alarming, and bizarre, and just really kind of hard to believe overall!" Nora said.

"It's kind of bizarre to see a kid and hear him speaking like the man who was our headmaster." Tatsumi said.

"Hehehe It's good to see you children still have your sense of humor. I know you've all been through tremendous hardship already. I'm sorry." Ozpin frowned.

"I mean, it's not your fault." Ruby said.

"It's all my fault. I told you once that I made more mistakes than any man, woman, and child on this planet, and I wasn't exaggerating. I'm... cursed. For thousands of years, I've walked the surface of Remnant, living, dying, and reincarnating in the body of a like-minded soul. The Professor Ozpin you all met was not my first form, and clearly wasn't my last. It's... an extraordinarily strenuous process on everyone involved."

"So who… what… are you?" Jaune asked.

"I am the combination of countless men who've spent their lives trying to protect the people of Remnant. With every rebirth, my soul is eventually merged with another and I am changed, but my memories stay with me. This curse was bestowed upon me by the gods because I failed to stop Salem in the past. But we must stop her now."

"And how do we do that?" Ruby asked.

"We start… by ensuring the safety of the Relic of Knowledge." Ozpin said.

 **Pov change: Weiss**

I awoke to find myself trapped in a cage and my wrists bound by rope. I looked around, and noticed the bandits from earlier that took me. One of them was drinking, while the other noticed me waking up.

"Well, well, well, look who's awake."

"Wha… what's going on? Where am I?" I asked.

"You know... I never thought I'd see a Schnee in this camp." I heard.

A young woman walked out of the tent and towards me.

"Vernal!?"

The two bandits suddenly stood at attention. Vernal walked over to my cage, holding Myrtenaster in her hand. I stood up, while my captor admired my weapon.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"Straight to the point. I like it. We don't normally deal in trafficking people - not really worth our time. But, once we realized we had a Schnee, that changed." She pointed Myrtenaster at me.

"You're going to ransom me back to my father, is that it?" I asked.

"It's a shame you're a Schnee. You'd probably do quite well around here."

"I would never sink to your level." I said.

Vernal's expression then changed to a frown.

"Just keep quiet and cooperate and you'll be back in your mansion before you know it. Don't make this complicated." Vernal said.

"What's going to make this complicated is when my sister finds out I didn't make it to Mistral. You know my sister, don't you? Winter Schnee? Special Operative of the Atlas Military? She's in Mistral now, and when she hears I'm missing, it won't take her long to find me - and you." I said.

But suddenly they started… laughing?

"What's so funny?" I asked.

Vernal turned back around.

"Hehehe Oh, I don't know if it's more funny or sad, but you're clearly out of the loop. Your sister isn't in Mistral anymore. No Atlas personnel are in Mistral anymore. General Ironwood closed the borders and recalled all his little troops and tin cans. No one is coming to rescue you." Vernal said.

I heard them laugh again and I just closed my eyes.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

"This is perfect! We were stuck at a dead end, but now, we can just take little cute boy Ozpin to Lionheart and have him set things straight!" Nora said.

"Please don't call me that." Ozpin said.

"Maybe he can see what's going on with that scaredy-cat." Tatsumi said.

"We're not sure that's the best idea." Qrow said.

Nora pouted and groaned and went back to sitting down next to Ruby, Ryuki, and Ren.

"But I thought the headmasters all took their orders from you." Ren said.

'Qrow said you trust Lionheart.' Ryuki said.

"That was the intention. Four lieutenants I can trust, especially during times of reincarnation. But Qrow told me about your meeting with Leonardo and the threat Sydney and Tatsumi received. He isn't just behaving irrationally, he's disobeying specific instructions I had left him. Something's wrong. I don't want to jump to conclusions, but I don't want to rule out any possibilities, either. No one outside of this room knows that I've paired with Oscar, and I think it may be best to keep it that way. As for the threat, we can only assume that Tatsumi's home is being monitored so the two of you should not leave."

"Play things close to the chest until we get a better hand." Qrow said.

"Precisely. Now, we have two steps ahead of us. The first is enlisting the aid of more Huntsmen."

"But the Mistral council-" ren began.

"Doesn't own every Huntsman in the Kingdom, and I've been here enough times to know where we can find some more." Qrow said.

"So long as they're trustworthy." Ozpin said.

"You can trust them to put up a good fight. I'll throw together a list tonight." Qrow said.

"I can think of a few who might be around as well." Tatsumi said.

Qrow put his foot on the table, but his Semblance caused one of the legs to break and spill his cup of tea.

"Good luck with that." Nora said.

Qrow groaned as he cleaned up his mess.

"After that, we can move on to step two." Ozpin said.

"What's step two?" Nora asked.

Suddenly, Ozpin had his cane in hand.

"Getting you all into fighting shape." Ozpin said.

We all once again exchanged looks of confusion.

"But, uh, we already know how to fight." Ruby said.

"You can only fight so long as you have Crescent Rose, but you're still lacking in hand-to-hand combat." He pointed at Ruby.

"Well, uh, yeah." Ruby began.

He pointed at Ryuki.

"As far as you have gotten Ms. Suni, you still have to rely on your aura armor, so we shall teach you how to improvise."

Ryuki nodded.

"Mr. Arc, I'm glad to hear you've improved, but sorry to say, you've yet to unlock your Semblance. All of you still have a-ways to go before you're ready to pose any real threat against Salem and her forces." Ozpin said.

He pointed at me.

"Satoshi… you died so your muscle memory may not be as well as it used to and you lack any armor, aura, or weapons besides your Grimm ability that I would like to keep secret." Ozpin said.

I nodded.

"Tatsumi, you are still recovering from the fight but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't train. Sydney as well." Ozpin said.

"I've had enough sleep, I'm ready." Sydney said.

"And though Oscar can give me temporary control, he'll need to strengthen his body and his Aura. He'll inherit my muscle memory in time, but practice will expedite the process."

"But if Qrow's out looking for Huntsmen, then who's going to teach us?" Ruby asked.

Ozpin then propelled himself into the air with his cane, spinning counterclockwise into a barrel roll before landing onto the seat of the armchair, twirling his cane.

"Well, I believe I was the headmaster of Beacon Academy." Ozpin said.

All of us had various looks on our faces.

"We have approximately one month before classes resume at Haven. If Salem were to plan an attack, it would make sense that it would occur prior to students' return. It's not much time, but it's better than nothing. Just don't expect me to go easy on you."

Suddenly, he glowed green and white again, switching control back to Oscar. He had a hard time keeping his balance on the armchair before falling backwards.

"You've gotta be kidding me." Oscar said.

I looked at Ryuki and she looked at me.

"We'd… like to ask ozpin one last thing." I said.

"What?" Oscar asked.

"Kid." Qrow said.

Oscar nodded and became ozpin again.

"What is it?" He asked.

"You knew didn't you? That I would die?" I asked.

Ozpin looked down.

"It was never my true desire to harm you, but I had to in order for destiny to be changed." Ozpin said.

"What destiny?" I asked.

"Many years ago, there was a pair of twins who also had Grimm eyes. Their destiny was changed by Salem and it ended with them killing each other. When I met you two, I checked the prophecy and the prophecy was the same fate. I could not allow that so by showing you your powers before you were supposed to, I managed to change your fate."

'What was our fate?' Ryuki asked.

"*sigh* 'When the birds of darkness fall from the skies, when the creatures of night flood the kingdoms, the beast shall emerge, unable to control himself, will strike those close to him. The girl, with bow and a single arrow of fire, shall be forced to fight. Upon the ruins of their safe haven, the beast shall leap at its prey. The prey will fight back and in result must come to two decisions… kill the one closest to her, or risk the loss of her own life.'" Ozpin finished.

I looked at Ryuki and looked down.

"What was the original fate for us? All those years ago."

Ozpin shook his head.

"That's a story for another time." Ozpin said.

"It's getting late, why don't you all head to bed?"

Pov change: Sydney

We all walked away but I stopped and turned invisible to listen.

"You don't wanna tell them yet. It'll hurt them even more." Qrow said.

"The truth always hurts." Ozpin said.

"Do you think there's any other way?" Qrow asked.

"It's up to their decisions to decide their destiny. But if the path they lead now continues… it could end with their sacrifice." Ozpin said.

My eyes widened as I snuck away.


	55. Chapter 55

**Pov: Yang**

"How much further, pal?" I asked as we drove down the path.

"This should just about do it." The man said.

I stopped my bike at a clearing.

"You wait here. I'll go up ahead and make sure the coast is clear." He said as he dismounted from the bike and ran into the bushes. I shook my head in annoyance and discarded my sunglasses, sleeve and coat tails before stretching a little. I pulled out the sword and stared at it. I wiped my right hand across the blade when suddenly, someone shot a gun and I blocked the shot with my arm. The shady guy reappeared with several bandits in tow, weapons drawn.

"I can't believe you were dumb enough to let me lead you here."

"Is this everyone?" I asked as I put the sword back on my hip.

"Yes, little lady. This is it. Well, unless you count the whole rest of the camp back that way." He gestured behind him with his thumb. I pointed a finger in the same direction.

"That way?" I asked.

"Yes. That way." The man said, confused.

"Good to know. Thanks." I said.

"Now to pay me back for this tooth, we're going to take your bike, then you're going to give us that sword, then you're going to take your lumps." He said.

I engaged Ember Celica on my left arm.

"Try and take it." I said.

The bandits get cautious and kept their weapons trained on me.

"You got the jump on me last time, sweetheart. But you really ought to think twice about fighting all—" he was cut off when I engaged the gun on my robotic arm. The rest of the bandits gasped.

"Alright… Get her!" The man yelled.

The bandits attacked… but it didn't take long to beat them. After the fight, I felt my left hand shaking once again, but I calmed down before walking back to my motorcycle.

"Who are you? It doesn't even matter. When Raven finds out what you did, you're dead!" He said.

"Possibly. But I doubt it. I am her daughter, after all." I said.

"I'm dead." His eyes widened as he fell to the ground.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

I jumped up and swung my staff on Satoshi, who grabbed it and threw me towards Tatsumi and Sydney, who jumped off of me to swipe at Tatsumi who grabbed her and swung her up in the air. Satoshi jumped at Sydney and swung his Grimm claws at her but she flipped in the air and kicked him in the chest, knocking him to the ground. Tatsumi swung at me, but I side stepped and shot at Tatsumi, who activated his semblance. Sydney landed and shot at Tatsumi. He charged at her and tackled her before throwing her at me. We hit each other and landed.

"Ha and Tatsumi takes the go-"

Satoshi ran in and delivered a kick to Tatsumi's hip, sending him flying.

"Alright… I think that's enough for now." Qrow said.

We all got up and walked to him.

"Tatsumi, you can't rely on your semblance to save you. Sydney, while you are quick on your feet, you can't let yourself be grabbed. Ryuki, when you swing down with the staff, you offer an opening. Satoshi, you need to know how to conserve your energy since you lack aura for the time being." Qrow said.

We all nodded.

"Alright, go see the others." Qrow said.

We walked to the others and saw Oscar and Ruby training hand to hand combat whilst Jaune, Nora and Ren were looking on.

"Man, Oz wasn't kidding. Oscar's picking up on this stuff fast." Jaune said.

Oscar hit Ruby straight in the face. Ruby recoiled from the blow and looked visibly angry.

"Oh my gosh. I'm so sorry!" Oscar said.

Ruby hit Oscar back and he landed a few feet away on the ground as Jaune and Nora winced.

"Ha! Yes! I did it!" Ruby cheered.

I jumped and clapped.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Oscar asked.

Oscar groaned and got to his feet. He stiffened briefly while his eyes glow in a yellow light, becoming ozpin.

"Not bad, Miss Rose. But Oscar doesn't have the years of training that you do. Or I do." Ozpin said.

We all realized what Ruby is in for. Oscar determinedly approached Ruby.

"Oh, ha, well, maybe we should uh... take a break." Ruby said.

Ozpin attacked Ruby with a few punches aimed at her head, forcing her onto the defensive until he landed a blow to her face which knocked her back several feet. Ozpin closed the gap with a leap and kicked her in the face. Ruby leapt at Ozpin to threw a left cross which Ozpin evaded by ducking and retaliated with a headbutt from below.

"Ouch." Nora said.

I placed my hands on my mouth, worried.

"The next time you want to throw a left cross, remember to push off with the appropriate foot. And as always, do be aware of any openings."

"Gooooot it." Ruby groaned.

I ran up and handed Ruby some water.

"Thanks." Ruby smiled.

Ozpin relinquished his control and Oscar fell to the ground, panting.

"Oh! Hey. Are you okay?" Ruby asked.

"How is this so exhausting?" Oscar asked.

"Your body isn't used to this kind of training, not to mention generating a defensive Aura on your own. It takes intense concentration at first, but in time it will become second nature, allowing you to deflect attacks and gradually heal your wounds. After that, you can begin focusing on your Semblance, whatever that may be." Ren said.

"Semblance?"

"You know! Like your very own superpower! Everybody's got one. It's just a matter of finding it and mastering it. Ruby moves super fast, Electricity makes me stronger, Ren can mask emotions, Ryuki can levitate stuff, Satoshi can grow Grimm arms, Sydney can turn invisible, Tatsumi can form armor, and Jaune... can, uh, um. Hmm." Nora said.

"I can't do anyth—" jaune began.

"Jaune's like you!" Ruby said.

Ruby took Oscar by the hand and leads him over to Jaune.

"He hasn't found his Semblance yet, but we all know he will. And you will, too. We all just have to try and help each other get stronger." Ruby said.

"Cool."

"A common philosophy is that a warrior's Semblance is a part of who they are. Some say your personality and character can define your Semblance while some claim that it is the other way around. Of course, there are still many who don't see a connection at all."

"It's hard to know when you know sometimes. Ren's Semblance was unlocked from intense stress."

"And mine kicked in during training one day."

'I learned it when someone attacked me.' I said.

"Mine… is personal." Satoshi said.

Sydney looked away.

"My formed during training as well." Tatsumi said.

"And what about you?" He asked Nora.

"Oh. Struck by lightning. Didn't die. Craaaazy Thursday." Nora said.

"I just don't understand what's wrong with me. I train. I meditate." Jaune said.

Oscar's eyes glowed momentarily as Ozpin took control of his body again.

"Don't worry, Mr. Arc. Your journey is far from over. And the same might be said for all of you. Unlocking your Semblance isn't the end. It can still grow and evolve. Providing you're willing to put in the work, who knows what could happen."

"Then let's get back to it." Ruby said.

 **Pov change: Yang**

I finally entered the camp, escorted by a few bruised bandits who I roughed up earlier. I noticed more bandits lining up along the path, giving angry glares at me. A girl stepped out of the tent to see what the commotion is about. My escorts and I arrived at the camp's main tent. Mom then emerged from it with her mask on.

"Mom." I said.

She took off her mask and stared at me.

"Yang. So, after all this time you finally decided to visit me." She said.

I felt my left hand shaking once again, but used my robotic hand to calm it down.

"You know that I searched for you. I spent years looking for you."

"And you've found me. You were patient, determined, and strong enough to make your dream a reality. Well done, Yang. But did you have to be so rough with my men?" Raven asked.

"I didn't want a fight. They started it." I said.

"Well, you certainly finished it." Mom said.

Silence.

"Right. I'm sure this is all very overwhelming. But I must admit that you've proven yourself. So any questions you have I'll be happy to answer. You can stay with us tonight. I'll even have the cooks whip up something for you."

"That's not why I am here." I said.

"What was that?" Mom asked.

"I'm not here for you. Ruby is somewhere in Mistral. She's with Qrow, and she's going to need my help. I just need you to take me to her."

"And why would I do that?" Mom asked.

"Because we're family." I said.

"Family. Only coming around when they need something. I have to say, I'm disappointed. After all, you found me, didn't you? Why not take that drive and use it to find your little sister if she means that much to you?"

"Because you're going to save me time. Ruby was heading to Mistral, but there's no guarantee she's made it there. Looking for her in Anima could take ages. But… Dad told me how your Semblance works."

"Tai…"

"You can bond to certain people. And when you do, you could create a portal that takes you straight to them. You've got one for Dad. One for me. And you've got one for Qrow. He promised me he'd watch out for Ruby before he left. And I trust him. So, make a portal to my uncle and sister, and I'll be on my way."

"You know, it takes real strength to march in here and demand such a favor of me. I've got to say, I'm impressed. It's very noble to want to help out your sister. But if she's with Qrow, then she's already a lost cause."

"What does that mean?"

"You don't want to get mixed up in all of that, Yang. Ozpin is not the man you think he is. And Qrow is a fool for trusting him. I would know, I trusted him once, too."

"I don't care what you think." I said.

"Your choice is your own. All I'm suggesting is that instead of getting wrapped up in something too big for you, for any of us, that maybe you take a moment to wonder if you're already where you belong."

"Save your breath. You can spout off whatever you want, but nothing is going to keep me from my sister." Mom said.

She looked at me and seemed to notice something.

"Where'd you get the sword from?" She asked.

I looked at it before placing my hand on it.

"It's a gift." I said.

"I can tell the difference between a gift and a memento." Raven said. "Who's was it?"

"Someone I cared about." I said.

"Well, aren't you stubborn." Mom said.

"I get it from my mom." I said.

"Well, if that's how you feel, then it sounds like we're done here. Take her away." Mom said.

The bandits surrounded and began to move in on me. I saw this, before turning my head back to mom.

"Did you not hear me? I said send me to Qrow, damn it!" I said.

"That's enough! You watch your mouth in front of our leader!" A bandit said.

"Make me." I said.

A bandit tried to attack me, but I punched him into a tent, revealing Weiss in a cage.

"Yang?" Weiss asked.

"Weiss?" I replied.

Suddenly a giant white figure grew so big, it destroyed the cage. Weiss quickly made her way towards me, with the now giant figure following close behind.

"What is that?" I asked.

"Don't worry about it. What are you doing here?" Weiss asked.

"Well, that's my mom and she can take us to Ruby." I said.

"Your mom kidnapped me?!" Weiss asked.

"You kidnapped her?!" I asked.

We almost fought again when a lightning bolt hit the ground.

"Enough!" The girl yelled.

"Thank you." Mom said to the girl. "If you people don't keep it together this place will be crawling with Grimm." She said to us. "Give the girl her weapon back."

The looked surprised at the command, but tossed the rapier to Weiss.

"You two. In my tent. Now." Mom said.

"Why?" I asked.

"If you're really going after your sister, then you need to know the truth." Mom said.

Mom entered her tent and the bandits went back to their own businesses. Weiss placed her hand on her chest in relief.

"Sorry about-" I began

Weiss dropped her rapier and strongly hugged Yang.

"I missed you so much." Weiss said.

"I've missed you, too." I said.

She looked at my hip.

"You kept his sword…" Weiss said.

I looked at the sword and sighed.

"It helps…" I said.

"I miss him too." Weiss said.

"Hey are you two coming?" The girl asked.

We walked over and into the tent to hear what mom has to say.


	56. Chapter 56

**Pov: Blake**

"Okay. Are you ready?" I asked.

"I beat up on giant monsters and robots more than once, I think I can handle getting a few signatures." Sun said. I gave a small smile at Sun.

I stood on a platform in front of a crowd of Faunus, holding my scroll up in front of myself.

"Your chieftain needs you! Your people need you! Please, join the fight and help us save Haven Academy!" I said.

The Faunus just stared back at me. Let's just say… it was like this for a while.

"I don't get it! How can they just sit around and do nothing with the White Fang getting ready to attack?!" Sun slammed his hand on the desk.

"Because not everyone is like you and me. The Faunus here in Menagerie - the ones that weren't born on the island - moved here because they were tired of fighting, of having to struggle constantly. Menagerie is filled with people that just want to be left alone, and here we are, asking them to put the rest of the world before themselves." I said.

"I guess I never really thought about it like that." Sun said.

"The problem is, whatever happens at Haven is going to affect them whether they like it or not. If Adam gets his way and Haven falls, it's only going to make things worse for the Faunus. Everywhere."

"Adam… He's the guy you used to… work with?"

"Yes." I said.

"Sorry, forget I brought it up." Sun said.

"No, it's okay. Have you ever met someone and thought to yourself, 'They are the personification of this word.'"

"Uh…"

"Okay, well, I remember getting to know Ruby and thinking, 'This girl is the embodiment of purity.' After a while, I saw Weiss was defiance. Yang was strength. Ryuki was forgiveness. And Satoshi… Satoshi was anger."

"What am I?" Sun asked.

"Jury's still out on that one, but I'm leaning towards earnest." I said.

At this, Sun wrapped his tail around his cup and took a sip from it, before leaning on his hand affectionately. I giggled and smiled for bit, before frowning as I continued.

"At first I thought Adam was justice, then I thought he was passion. But over time, I realized I was wrong. He wasn't any of those things. He was spite. Not hatred, not rage, spite. He won't accept equality, only suffering for what he feels the world did to him, and his way of thinking is dangerously contagious. That's what worries me about Ilia. She's not like Adam, not yet at least, but I don't know how long that will last." I said.

"She was your friend, huh?" Sun asked.

"She was. Her chameleon traits meant she could pass as human. She could've lived a normal life if she wanted, but she didn't. I always admired that. She lost her family in a mining accident when she was young, then she joined the White Fang. Like me, she was more or less trained on the road alongside other Faunus. She learned to survive, to defend herself, but as people like Sienna and Adam started to gain a following, she became more dangerous. I guess I did too. My parents tried to get me to leave with them, but I refused. I had Adam and Ilia, after all." I said.

"You know we're gonna have to face her eventually." Sun said.

"I know." I said.

"So, what are you gonna do?" Sun asked.

"I'm going to try and help her the way you helped me." I said.

Sun was surprised at my response.

"You showed me that sometimes you need to be there for a friend even when they don't want you to be. I was drowning in guilt and fear, I tried to push you away, but you didn't give up on me. And I can't give up on Ilia. It's about time I saved my friends for once."

Sun smiled at my response.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

Oscar was in the training room while wielding Ozpin's cane. As he panted from exhaustion, he heard Ruby's voice as we entered the room.

"You're really getting better, huh? Are you hungry? It's almost dinnertime." Ruby said.

"Oh, yeah. That sounds good. I was about to call it a night anyway." Oscar said.

'Has He never fought before?' I asked Ruby.

"So, you've never fought before?" Ruby asked for me.

"Just the occasional small Grimm. Nothing like this, though." Oscar said.

"Wow. You look like a natural."

"It's strange, I have only had this cane for a few weeks, but… I feel like I've had it for a lifetime. Longer, even… I sound like a crazy person." Oscar said.

"I mean, uh, yeah just a little. But at this pace, you'll be combat ready in no time!" Ruby said.

As soon as she said that, I looked at her. Ruby frowned upon mentioning her last phrase. Oscar noticed this and tried to ask a question.

"Uh…"

"Well, see you upstairs." Ruby said as we almost left.

"How do you handle all of this?" Oscar asked.

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked as we looked at him.

"I'm… scared. I'm more scared than I've ever been in my life, than I ever thought was possible. I always knew that I wanted to be more than a farmhand, but this? Who would ask for this?" He asked.

He glanced down at the floor as a tear dripped from his eye. He sniffed before kneeling to the floor to reach his backpack. He grabbed the cane off the rack and pulled the lever on the handle to compact it before putting it in his backpack.

"We all went to Beacon because we wanted to help people. But, you're right. None of us asked for this either. We just have to press on and-"

"How can you be so confident?! People have tried to kill you! The world's about to go to war all over again! How are you okay with any of this?!"

Ruby and I were taken aback by Oscar's question. She frowned as she responded.

"When Beacon fell, I lost three of my friends: Penny Polendina, Pyrrha Nikos, and Satoshi," Oscar was confused by my response, "I didn't know Pyrrha and Penny for very long, but that doesn't change the fact that they were some of the most kind-hearted people I have ever met. But that didn't save them. Pyrrha thought that if there was even the smallest chance of helping someone, then it was a chance worth taking. And because of that, she died fighting a battle she knew she couldn't win. And Penny… was killed… just to make a statement. Satoshi as well. He was forced into becoming a Grimm so that the world saw him as a monster instead of a person. Ryuki was forced to kill him so that he couldn't harm her anymore. We may have gotten him back but the world hasn't forgotten about what he did." Ruby said.

"I'm… sorry." Oscar said.

"I am scared, but not just for me. What happened at Beacon shows that Salem doesn't care if you're standing against her or not. She'll kill anybody, and that scares me most of all. Pyrrha… Penny… I'd be lying if I said that it didn't hurt, that I didn't think about them every day since I lost them, that I didn't wish I had spent more time with them. If it had been me instead, I know they would have kept fighting too, no matter how dangerous it was. So that's what I choose to do - to keep moving forward." Ruby said.

Oscar walked up next to us, and we all shared a smile. Ruby wiped her tears coming from her eyes with her arm.

"C'mon, if we don't hurry, Nora's gonna eat everything. It wouldn't be the first time. Hey, Oscar? This isn't gonna be easy, but the fact that you're even trying says a lot about you. You're braver than you think." Ruby said

Ruby and I proceeded up the stairs while Oscar waited a bit.

As we walked, I held Ruby's hand.

"Speaking of Satoshi, where is he?" Ruby asked.

Pov change: Satoshi

"Look Tatrael, I know you have what we want." Tatsumi said.

The lizard Faunus smiled. He had aura infused armor which was great for me.

"And why should I offer my most valuable piece to you?" He asked.

"Because you will owe us for the job we pulled for you four months ago." Sydney said.

He hissed before looking down.

"Consider this debt squared." Tatrael said. "Fifteen hundred."

"Seven." I said as I placed my hands on the table. Let's just say this isn't the first time I've done this.

"Who do you think you're talking to?" Tatrael asked.

"I suggest you ask that question as well." I said as my arms shaped into Grimm claws.

He stared at my arms and hissed.

"Alright alright, calm down. I can go with eight." He said.

"Deal." I said.

"Here." He gave me the armor.

I put the armor on and felt the aura surround me.

Tatsumi paid for the armor and we were walking back to the safe house when we walked past Tatsumi's house.

"What the?" Tatsumi asked.

The door was busted open.

We ran in and saw a bird Faunus looking around. Her bird traits were that she had feathers.

"Kagome." Tatsumi said.

She looked at us and smirked.

"Well if it isn't my love. How have you been?" She asked.

"What are you doing here?" Sydney asked.

"Did I ask you, bitch. Why don't you just bite your own ass?" She asked. "You two were warned not to go near the school."

I stood in front of them.

"I don't plan on hurting my love, but just know that the next time you go near the school, I will have to. And I won't be alone." Kagome said.

Before we reacted, a smoke bomb went off and she was gone.

"Let's go. Grab whatever you two need. This place isn't safe anymore." I said.

They grabbed all they needed and we ran out.

 **Pov change: Kagome**

"Did they get the message?" Shigou asked.

"Not sure, but if it comes to blood. That bitch is mine." I said.


	57. Chapter 57

**Pov: Ruby**

"And Kagome was just waiting there?" Nora asked.

"She was sending another message. Stay away from the school." Tatsumi said.

"Until we have a need to go to the school again, you two should stay here." Ren said.

"It'll be like the airship again, but with actual windows and not artificial air." Satoshi said.

Ryuki hit his shoulder.

 **Pov: Yang**

Inside of the tent, Vernal poured cups of tea for Mom, Weiss, and myself. We were all inside Raven's tent with the three of us seated around a table.

"You can wait outside. Thank you." Mom said to Vernal.

Vernal did so.

"So, what's the 'truth'?" I asked.

"You know, it's better when it's hot." Mom said.

"You know, you're really obnoxious." Weiss said.

"The truth is that 'truth' is hard to come by. A story of victory for one person is a story of defeat for someone else. By now, your uncle has surely told Ruby and her friends plenty of stories." Mom said.

"Well, he's never given me a reason to doubt him before." I said.

"That doesn't mean those reasons don't exist. You know, you and your teammates might as well be the poster children for the Huntsman academies. Your motives vary, but you all enrolled to try and make the world a better place. It's adorable." Mom said.

"It's what Huntsmen and Huntresses do."

"Not all of them. Some people are just in it for the money and the fame, but there's even more that are just looking to grow stronger. Your Uncle Qrow and I didn't attend Beacon to become Huntsmen, we did it to learn how to kill Huntsmen." Mom said.

Weiss and I gasped at this, exchanging a brief look with each other.

"Daddy and Uncle left that part out, hm? Aside from the Grimm, Huntsmen were the only ones capable of ruining our raids and hunting us down. Our tribe needed a counterforce. And Qrow and I were the perfect age. The entrance exams were child's play compared to what we'd already been through. We were good. So good, that we caught the attention of Beacon's very own headmaster, Professor Ozpin. Sounds a lot like a couple of twins you may know. Even after we were put on a team, I could tell he was keeping his eye on us. Back then, I thought it was because he knew, but it was Team STRQ he was interested in."

"What do you mean by that? And don't talk about Satoshi and Ryuki like you knew them."

"I know more about them than they do. Constant attention, extra training missions, turning a blind eye whenever we happened to break the rules and get into more trouble than we should've. Sound familiar?"

We shared another glance at each other.

"What's your point?" I asked.

"How much do you know about Professor Ozpin? About his past? And speaking of which, the twins. What do you know about them?"

"He was… a prodigy. One of the youngest headmasters to be appointed to a school." Weiss said.

"The twins have Grimm eyes and that's it."

"Oh how naive you two are. The twins are like Ozpin, just different. The reason Ozpin is the youngest headmaster is because that's how he planned it. Because the man you know as Ozpin designed those schools and has followers inside every academy on Remnant that are loyal to him and no one else." Mom said.

"That doesn't make any sense! How could he have...? No. Why would someone even do that? And what do you mean the twins were like ozpin?" I asked.

"Because old man Oz has a great and terrible secret. One that could spread fear across the world. One that he eventually entrusted to our team, and once I knew, there was no going back. I needed to know more, but with every new discovery I made, the more horrifying the world became. And those twins are part of it." Mom said.

"Okay, then tell us. What's the big secret? What's so crazy that the rest of us don't know?" I asked.

"The Creatures of Grimm… have a master named Salem. She can't be stopped, she can't be reasoned with, and she will not rest until humanity crumbles at her feet. In the past, the twins were destined to stop her. But Oz failed to make that happen.

"What?" Weiss asked.

"You know, you two haven't even touched your tea." Mom said as she took another sip from her teacup, while I stood up.

"Why should we believe any of this? Why should I believe a single word you say about Satoshi?" I asked.

"Now you're catching on. So far you've done nothing but accept what others tell you, but you need to question everything." Mom said.

The two of us stared at each other face to face, before Raven turned around.

"Otherwise you'll end up just as blind as Qrow… and your fool of a father. Or just as dead as Satoshi." She said.

I shot down, destroying the table. Mom looked towards me, faintly smiling. My eyes blood red.

"Don't you dare talk about my family like that! And don't talk about Satoshi like that!" I said.

"You need to calm down." I heard vernal draw her blade.

"Yang, please." Weiss held my hand.

"Listen to your friend, Yang. Your teammates never let you down before." Mom said.

"You don't know the first thing about my teammates! About me! You were never there! You LEFT US! Why?!" I asked.

"I know more than you realize. Not just about you, and not just what I've been told, but things I've seen with my own eyes. I know the Grimm have a leader, I know people who can come back from the dead, I know that magic is real, and I can prove it." Mom said.

Weiss stood up, while mom continued addressing me.

"You said Tai told you all about my Semblance." She said.

Vernal lowered her weapon while mom headed towards the back exit of her tent.

"Well, I doubt he ever told you what Oz did to my brother and me." She said.

She exited her tent. Weiss and I exchanged confused looks.

"Go see for yourself." Vernal said as she left. Weiss and I took her advice and exited the tent. We saw no one there.

"Mom?" I asked, annoyed.

"Yang, are you okay?" Weiss asked.

"I'll be fine once we can get her to take us to Ruby." I said as I continued to look around.

"It's okay if... you're not okay." Weiss said.

"You didn't believe what she said, right?" I asked.

"I… of course not. Well, not all of it. It was crazy. We have Dust, Semblances... But, I mean, there's no such thing as magic." Weiss said.

Just then, we heard a bird caw. We watched it fly in front of them.

"A raven?" Weiss asked.

"I've… seen that bird before." I said.

"Maybe it belongs to your mom?" Weiss said.

The two of continued to watch the raven fly in the dusk-colored sky. It descended, flying and weaving between the trees, before shapeshifting into… mom?! She landed back on the ground on her feet, while Weiss and I had shocked expressions as she stood back up.

"How… did you do that?" I asked.

"Well, I could explain it to you…" Mom asked.

She then drew her sword, slashing behind her, creating a portal with her Semblance.

"… or you could ask your uncle."

"You're letting us go?"

"I'm giving you a choice. Stay here, with me, and I'll answer all your questions and more. We can have a fresh start. Or… you can go back to Qrow and join Ozpin's impossible war against Salem, and meet the same fate as so many others. But can you really go back to trusting someone that's kept so much from you?" Mom asked.

"All I care about is making sure my sister is safe." I said.

"Ugh…" she wasn't satisfied with my answer.

Weiss and I were riding on Bumblebee. However, before we entered the portal, mom addresses me one more time.

"Yang. If you side with your uncle, I may not be as kind the next time we meet…" she said.

Weiss rolled her eyes and looks ahead.

"You weren't kind this time either." I said as we proceeded through the portal on Bumblebee. The portal then disappears.

 **Pov change: Qrow**

Today, I just tried to find all of the huntsmen, but… they were all gone. Even the ones Tatsumi knew.

"This isn't right. I get one or two of them, but… all of them?" I asked out loud.

I sighed and hung my head in disappointment. Suddenly, I heard the sound of Raven's portal behind me.

"Raven?" I asked.

The sound of a motorcycle was heard coming from the portal. And when I saw who it was, I was surprised.

"Oh." I said.

 **Pov change: Ruby**

We were all helping prepare dinner. Ren, Ryuki and I were cooking at the stove, Jaune was setting up the table, and Nora was cutting carrots, occasionally eating slices. Tatsumi and Sydney were sleeping, and Satoshi was finishing a shower.

"Alright, the first batch is just about done." Ren said.

"Awesome! Now we just need Qrow and we'll be all set."

"Do you really think he's gonna bring that many people? This is a lot of food." Nora asked.

"Uh, I don't know, but it sounds like we could use all the help we can get." I said.

"I'm back!" We heard.

"Be right there!" I said.

"You're going to overcook that." Ren said.

"No I'm not, shut up!" I said.

'It's burning.' Ryuki said.

"Hey, uh, Ruby? And Ryuki?" Qrow asked.

"We're coming!" I said.

Some smoke came from the pan I was cooking with.

"Fine! You take over." I said.

I grabbed the tea tray and headed to the living room with Ryuki while Ren helped cook the pan.

"So, we didn't know how many people were coming, so we just cooked all of it." I said.

Ryuki suddenly stopped and I looked at what she was looking at. I gasped as I dropped the tea tray and its contents, which shattered on the floor. I stared in disbelief at the sight of not only Qrow, but Yang and Weiss as well. Yang approached her little sister.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

I was walking out when I heard the glass break.

"Yang, I… I'm so sorry! I- I should've stayed, and I should've talked to you more! I'd- I just… I wasn't sure if you wanted me around and-"

"I love you." Yang said.

Ruby sobbed as she leaned into her sister's hug.

"I love you too." Ruby said.

"Weiss." I heard.

After a few seconds, I heard Yang speak.

"Ryuki, I wanna just say… I forgive you. I was in mourning and I didn't think clearly. I know that Satoshi would be proud of how far you have gotten." Yang said.

I started to sneak out and Weiss noticed me and almost gasped when I told her to be quiet with my finger. She looked at Yang.

"Yang?"

"Hang on Weiss. I know Ryuki that it must have been hard to do what you did and I hope that you can forgive me for blaming you for killing him." Yang said.

"Whoa kill? Who did Ryuki kill?" I asked.

Yang froze and slowly turned to face me, tears in her eyes.

"S-Satoshi?" She asked.

"I mean, I will say that I am a bit sore, but other than that, I feel fine." I said.

She walked up to me and placed her hand on my cheek.

"Shut up." Yang kissed me until we fell onto the ground.

"Let's leave the reunited love birds to it." Nora said.


	58. Chapter 58

**Pov: Satoshi**

The dinner table was abuzz as we all talking over each other indistinctly. The mood was quite cheery, like a bunch of children smiling and laughing. Ruby and Ryuki were having fun and I felt Yang lying against me.

"How do you lose your map at a time like that?" Yang asked.

"Believe me, I've asked myself the same thing ever since." Jaune said.

"Hey, but you made up for it, Mister Muscles! You shoulda seen this guy take a giant Grimm head on!" Nora said.

"I couldn't have done it without Ruby wearing it down." Jaune said.

"Uh, me? Did you see Ren during that fight? He was out of control!"

"I'm sorry, I may have lost my temper momentarily."

"No, no! Out of control as in 'awesome'!" Ruby said.

"Oooohhh. Thank you." Ren smiled.

"Speaking of which, I don't think I've ever seen Satoshi fight the way he did. He leapt on the Grimm and started hitting it like crazy." Ruby said.

"I just woke up and I heard my friends were in danger." I said.

As dinner continued, Weiss told us her story about how she accidentally summoned a Boarbatusk during the Schnee charity ball.

"You did not!" Ruby said.

"Weiss… Schnee… did that." I said, amazed.

Weiss had her head in her hands.

"Yeah, right in the middle of the party." Weiss said.

"Please tell me you let that lady have it."

"Of course not! Even if I did really want to." Weiss said.

"No way, I don't believe it." Nora said.

Weiss summoned her Boarbatusk right next to Nora. The Grimm summon growled, causing Nora to yelp and fall to her side. We all chuckled at that.

After that, Sydney and Tatsumi talked about their time here.

"You two didn't." I said.

Sydney blushed and nodded.

'They did date during school AND they lived together here for the last few months.' Ryuki said.

"Can you all please shut up?" Sydney turned invisible.

We all laughed at that.

As dinner ver, Yang showed off her robotic prosthetic arm to the rest of us.

"It's not a replacement for the real thing, but I'll make sure to make good use of it." Yang said.

"That's amazing." Jaune said.

"Incredible." Ren said.

She looked at me.

"How do I look?" Yang asked.

I got up and smiled.

"Just as badass as ever." I said.

"Oh that reminds me." Yang said as she reached down and pulled out… my sword.

Ryuki gasped.

"You kept it." I said as I held the grip.

"It was the closest thing that I had to remembering you." Yang said.

I pulled her in for a kiss and she gladly accepted it. Before she placed her hand on my cheek again, Ruby held the arm.

"And it's just as strong?" Ruby asked.

"Hm, sure is." Yang said.

Suddenly, we heard a bang on the table. Nora had her arm out ready to arm wrestle.

"Wanna bet?" Nora asked.

"Nora, please, now's not the time…" Weiss said.

Despite Weiss' protest, Yang and Nora started arm wrestling. Jaune, Tatsumi, and Ren cheered on Nora while Ruby, Ryuki, and I cheered on for her sister. Weiss looked on disdainfully.

"Idiots." Sydney said.

"Don't let her beat you! You can do it! Come on!" Jaune said.

"You can do this! Show 'em what Team JNPR's made of!" Ren said.

"C'mon, sis! Aw, you can't lose to a girl in a skirt!" Ruby said.

"You wear a skirt, Ruby." Weiss said.

"Weiss, you're not cheering loud enough!" She shook Weiss.

"C'mon, show her the dragon." I said.

"It definitely feels like the original, I'll give you that!" Nora said.

"Yep. But, it does have some new features!" Yang said.

"Heh, oh yeah?" Nora asked.

A robotic sound was heard coming from Yang's arm, and suddenly Nora was knocked back to the wall holding Yang's detached arm in her hand. Nora groaned in pain while we looked on in concern, except for Yang, who had a smug grin on her face.

"Did she… win?" Jaune asked.

"I… don't know." I said.

As Nora came to, she realized that she was holding Yang's robotic arm, causing her to scream and throw it away from her. Yang laughed as she caught her arm.

Later

"Gyah... We ate it all… oh, I think I'm gonna be sick…" jaune said.

"Easy there, Vomit Boy, I believe in you." Yang said.

"Oh, we're doing nickname throwbacks now. Wonderful." Jaune said.

Weiss giggled.

"I mean, the Ice Queen seems to like it." Nora said.

"The ice queen laughs?!" I asked loudly.

"I so did not miss you people." Weiss rolled her eyes.

"Oh my gosh, she really does like it! What went and warmed your heart while you were gone?"

"Hey! You make it sound like I used to be terrible." Weiss said.

"Nah. Just a lot to deal with it once." Yang said.

"Hmph!" Weiss shrugged.

Yang playfully stuck her tongue out at Weiss.

"It's been a long time. We've all grown in our own ways." Ren said.

"You really think so?" Ruby asked.

"Well, think back to when we were all at Beacon, would you say you ever did anything foolish or embarrassing? Or do you think you were perfect?" Ren asked.

"Oh gosh." Weiss said.

"I may have been a little too gung-ho from time to time." Yang said.

"Heh, you? I tried to 1v1 a Nevermore on the second day of school." Ruby said.

"Yeah, well… don't even get me started." Jaune said.

"I didn't trust as many people as I should have." I said.

"Same." Tatsumi said.

"Well that embarrassment - that desire to go back and tell yourself not to be so stupid - that just proves you're not the same person you used to be. You're smarter, you're kinder, you're stronger, and you're not done growing yet. None of us are."

"Yeah, turns out Ren gets real deep when he feels like talking." Ruby said.

Everyone laughed.

"Well, hold on, I thought I was pretty great in school!" Yang said.

"Even at the dance? When you spilled punch all over yourself in front of-"

"Yes, especially the dance! Thank you, Yang!" Nora yelled.

"I guess it's time we asked." Weiss said.

We all got quiet.

"Satoshi… what was it like? Dying?" Weiss asked.

Yang held my hand.

"It was… like I was suddenly super exhausted. There wasn't any real pain. It just felt… exhausting. Like I really wanted to go to sleep." I said.

"How did you come back?" Yang asked.

"I woke up and felt immense pain, I remember a dark place but the next thing I realized was that I was fighting Ryuki and the others." I said.

"He was being controlled by that weird guy I told you about." Ruby said.

"Well I'm glad you're back." Yang said.

"How can ten kids possibly make so much noise eating dinner?!" Qrow asked.

Qrow and Oscar were standing next to Jaune. Oscar gave a small laugh.

Everyone relocated to the second floor living room, with Weiss and Yang having finished being filled in on what everyone else knows so far.

"So, the Maidens. Magic. Salem. Ryuki and Satoshi. It's all true?" Weiss asked.

"Uh-huh." Qrow said.

"Miss Xiao Long, is this more or less what your mother told you?" Ozpin asked.

Yang didn't respond, still having her arms crossed. Weiss answered for her.

"For the most part." Weiss said.

"You forgot something. You forgot to tell everyone what you did to Qrow and my mother." Yang said.

Ruby gasped.

"What is she talking about?" Jaune asked.

"Oh, great." Qrow said.

"Hm, that's not a secret I thought she would give up so easily. Your mother must trust you a great deal." Ozpin said.

Yang scowled at him.

"My ability to reincarnate, though a curse, isn't without a few key benefits. Much like the Maidens, I too possess a certain… "magical" power. Using this power, I was able to gift the Branwen twins the ability to "see" more, to move freely and be unburdened by their natural bodies. I… well… gave them the ability to turn into birds. Rather ridiculous sounding out loud, isn't it?" Ozpin said.

"Uncle?" Ruby asked Qrow.

"You turned them… into birds." Ren said.

"Alright, now you're just messing with us." Nora said.

"What else is new?" Jaune asked.

"He's telling the truth. We saw it. Yang's mom… changed, right in front of us. And besides, we have seen Satoshi change before."

"Why would you do something like that? I mean, what is wrong with you?" Yang asked.

"Yang, that's enough! We made a choice. We wanted this." Qrow said.

"May I? Granting this power to them was no trivial task, and I can assure you it was not done frivolously. I required assistance in gathering information on Salem's plans, as well as searching for Maidens when their hosts became unclear." Ozpin said.

"Okay, so, have you done this with others? Like General Ironwood? Or Professor Goodwitch?" Ruby asked.

"As helpful as that might be, unfortunately it is not that simple. My power is finite, and if I'm being honest, dwindling. The amount that I gifted to Qrow and Raven was, all things considered, rather miniscule. You see, centuries ago, I sacrificed a great deal of magic to four young women, who I hoped would use my gift for good. They were the first Maidens. Miss Xiao Long, it was never my intention to lie to you. To any of you. There are just some matters that I prefer to… "play close to the chest". I believe that's how you phrased it?" Ozpin asked Qrow.

"Heh Yeah." Qrow said.

"Everyone has a choice. The Branwens chose to accept their powers and the responsibilities that came with them. And later, one of them chose to abandon her duties in favor of her own self-interest. Now, all of you have a choice. If anyone wishes to leave, now is the time. There's no shame or disgrace in abstaining, only in retreat." Ozpin said.

No one moved.

"Very well, then." Ozpin said.

Yang suddenly stood up.

"Yang?" Ruby asked.

"If Ruby and Satoshi stick around, then I will too. If there's one thing I know about her, it's that she somehow always knows the right thing to do. And we've seen Satoshi, he's good in a fight. But, if we're going to help, if we're going to keep risking our lives, no more lies. No more half-truths." Yang said.

Everyone remained silent. Ozpin and Qrow exchanged a brief look with each other. Ozpin pondered Yang's words for one last moment, before responding.

"Understood." Ozpin said.

Yang sat back down.

"So… what now? I mean, what can we do?" Jaune asked.

"Mm, that is a difficult question. One that I believe is best answered tomorrow." Ozpin said.

"What do you mean?" Jaune asked/

"The road ahead is undoubtedly filled with hardships and peril. However, it's been far too long since you have all been together. Please, take tonight, enjoy this moment." He placed his hand on Yang's shoulder.

Suddenly Oscar's eyes glowed, with Ozpin giving him control back to his body. Oscar realized he had his hand on Yang's shoulder, and quickly took it off and nervously held his cane in his hand.

"Sorry." He said.

"You trying to make a move on her?" I stood towards him.

"N-No."

Yang and Weiss laugh at us when we heard a noise from Nora.

"Oooohhh. Raven? Qrow? They're birds! Cracked it!" Nora said.

Ren shook his head at Nora being slow on the uptake.

"Hey, can I talk to you privately?" Yang asked.

"Sure." I said.

 **Pov change: Yang**

I leaned down to Ruby.

"I highly suggest, Ryuki sleeps with you tonight." I said.

"Ewwww!" Ruby shook her arms around.

We walked into a room away from the others and I shut the door and locked it.

"Yang, what are we doing?" Satoshi asked.

He looked at me and saw me take off my top.

"Oh." He said before smiling.

 **Pov change: Cinder**

We walked towards the camp and saw two people at the entrance.

"Go." I said.

"Hey ugly!" Mercury said.

Emerald and Mercury walked towards them.

"Is Raven Branwen home?"

"Ya know, I've had a real bad week. So I think I'm gonna take it out on you-" he stopped when I started walking towards them.

He stopped mid sentence when he noticed Arthur and I walk out of the forest and join the two of them.

"Hmph, doesn't look like he wants to cooperate, Boss." Mercury said.

"Then make him." I said.

"I was hoping you'd say that." Mercury said.

Emerald proceeded forward. The bandits hold their ground while Emerald unsheathes her weapons, twirling them before they transform into their sickle forms and the fight began.


	59. Chapter 59

**Pov: Satoshi**

I woke up and saw that the sun was rising. I got out of bed and walked over to the window to see the bright sun shine over Haven.

"Nnng." I heard behind me.

I looked to see Yang in bed wake up and look at me.

"I'm glad I wasn't dreaming." She said.

"Morning." I walked up and kissed her forehead.

She got up and walked over to her clothes.

"I'm gonna go get showered." Yang said.

She walked up to me and leaned in.

"Looks like that beast in you isn't just for show." She said.

I blushed as she giggled before walking into the bathroom.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

Ruby and I were lying on the ground on the patio outside of the training room. We watched a group of four birds flying together, before one of them flew away from the group.

Ruby scooted over and placed her head on my shoulder.

"We haven't had many moments like this." Ruby said.

I nodded.

"We've been through a lot. And I just need to say… I'm glad I have been able to do all of it with you Ryuki."

'I don't think I would be alive if it wasn't for ozpin. I wouldn't have met you.' I said.

As we watched the bird fly away, Yang peeked over our heads.

"You two are up early." She said.

"Hey sis." Ruby said.

"Boop." Yang let her hair down and used it to tickle her little sister's nose and mine. Ruby giggled affectionately at her older sister's action. Ruby and I then sat up as Yang sat down next to us.

"What are you doing up?" Ruby asked.

"Can't fall back to sleep. Besides, Satoshi and I needed to clean ourselves up."

"Ah, me neither. Wait… ew." Ruby pieces the last part together.

"Well, fortunately, coffee exists." We heard behind us.

Weiss carried a tray with four cups of coffee and walked over to join her teammates and I. She lowered the tray down so Yang can grab a cup.

"No, please!" Ruby said.

"Don't worry, I put in blasphemous amounts of cream and sugar, just for you." Weiss said.

"Oh yeah! Nice Weiss strikes again!" Ruby said.

Suddenly, Weiss pulled the cup away just as Ruby was about to grab it.

"I will pour this on you and it will burn." Weiss said.

I used my semblance to pick the cup out of her hand and place it in Ruby's hands, who nervously giggled. Weiss sat down next to us and grabbed her cup of coffee after placing the tray down next to her.

"Can't believe we're actually in Mistral." Yang said.

"That's what you can't believe?" Ruby asked.

"Well, yeah! And all the other magic and stuff. And Satoshi being alive again. But... Okay, you know what I mean!" Yang said.

"I honestly wasn't sure if I'd ever see you three again." Weiss said.

'Before, Satoshi and I would have to fight police members and other thugs for moldy bread. Now that the two of us are here… that all felt like a bad dream.' I said.

"Well, here's to defying expectations." Weiss said.

Yang, Weiss, and I clinked cups together, while Ruby gulped her cup down in one go, opening one eye to glance at the others' cups.

"I just wish Blake could be here with us." Ruby said.

"Yeah, well, she made her choice." Yang said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Weiss asked.

"I mean she could've been here if she just stuck around. It's no big deal though. We'll be fine." Yang said, showing anger.

Ruby, Weiss, and I had concerned expressions on our faces.

"Don't you want her here?" Ruby asked.

"Why would I want her here?" Yang asked.

"Are you still mad at her for leaving?" Ruby asked.

"Oh, whatever gave you that idea, Ruby? No, I'm totally fine. I'm great." Yang scoffed.

"Okay, calm down." Weiss said.

"Don't tell me to calm down!" Yang's eyes turned red.

We all now had gained startled expressions.

"Whoa, Yang." Ruby said.

Yang realized what she did, and her eyes turned back to normal. Her hand shook while holding her cup.

"Whatever." Yang said as she got up and left. Ruby, Weiss, and I watched her go before exchanging concerned looks with each other.

 **Pov change: Blake**

I leaned against the railing on the balcony of the house. I looked up into the night sky as a voice called out for me from inside the house.

"Hey Blake! You ready to go?" Sun asked.

"Be right there!" I said.

I felt a note taped to the wooden railing of the balcony. I grabbed it and read the message written down:

 _'B_

 _Things going too far._

 _Not sure what to do._

 _Find a quiet spot,_

 _I'll find you._

 _Come alone. Please._

 _-I'_

I looked around a bit before hearing the sliding door open. I quickly placed the note in my coat.

"We going recruiting or what? We've got the entire nocturnal section to hit up!" Sun said.

I didn't say anything, and I had a concerned expression on my face, which Sun noticed.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'll meet you there. I need to take care of something first." I said.

 **Pov change: Yang**

I sat alone on the bed looking at two photos. One was the "New Friends!" photo of Team RWBY and the other was a photo I had of Satoshi and I from Beacon. He was grinning which was the closest thing to a smile for him back then. I heard a knock on the door and quickly put the photos away.

"Yeah?" I asked.

The door opened but I didn't look up to see who entered.

"Look Ruby, I really don't want to talk about it, okay? Can you just leave me alone for a bit?" I asked.

I looked up, and was surprised that it was not Ruby, but Weiss and Satoshi who were at the doorway.

"Oh. Hey guys. Did you need something?" I asked.

Weiss and Satoshi said nothing. Weiss closed the door behind her and sat on the bed opposite to Yang as Satoshi sat next to me.

"*sigh* I know she's our teammate, but I'm not just going to change my mind. I'm sorry, I just... I don't think you know what it's like to be left. You have a giant family, recitals to perform at, dinners to attend. I didn't have any of that. My mom left me. Ruby's mom left too. Tai was always busy with school and Ruby couldn't even talk yet. I had to pick up the pieces. I had to keep things together. Alone… well, if you two have something to say, then say it."

Satoshi was the first one to speak.

"Yang, I know what you're going through. When Ryuki and I were on the streets, all I could think about was how much I hated our parents. I thought 'how could they just abandon us'? But someone taught me something special. They taught me that I need to learn to forgive. To trust. To love." Satoshi said.

We were quiet when Weiss spoke.

"When I was ten, my dad finally admitted to my mom that the only reason he married her was for the family name. It was actually on my birthday. He missed the big dinner, she got mad, he finally snapped. I think she already knew. Looking back, I think I knew too. But hearing him say it finally pushed her over the edge." Weiss said as she got up and sat down next to me as well. "First it was separate lunches and dinners, opposite balconies at my recitals, a glass of wine here, a glass of wine there. Then, it was no dinners, no recitals, a bottle of wine here and... well, you get the idea."

"I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have assumed." I said.

"You're right though. I don't know loneliness like you do. I have my own version as does Satoshi. And, I'll bet Blake has her own version too." Weiss said.

"She doesn't have to be alone though. I was here for her. We all were! She chose to leave us." I said.

"Why do you think she did that?" Weiss asked.

"Hm?" I asked.

"The entire time Blake was at Beacon, she was afraid to open up to people. She tried to keep her past separated from us. She tried to protect us. Eventually, those walls she put up came down. And the moment they did, the one thing she was afraid of actually happened. The universe proved her right." Weiss said.

"She probably assumed it WAS her fault." Satoshi said.

"No one blamed her for anything! If she had just talked to us, she would've known that! How could I be there for her if she doesn't let me? What if I needed her here for me?" I said.

I buried my face in Satoshi's shoulder and started sobbing quietly. I felt Satoshi pat my head as Weiss put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"I know it's not easy. I wish she hadn't left too. The only thing we can do now is be there for her when she's ready. When she comes back." Weiss said.

Yang lifted her head from my shoulder.

"If she comes back." I said.

"She will. Yang... You, Ruby, and even Blake are more like family to me than my brother or even my own father. I would do anything for you three, and I'm willing to bet Blake feels the same way. So, when she's ready, I'll be there for her. And I know we're not as close, but... I'm here for you too." Weiss said.

"Same." Satoshi smiled.

Weiss and Satoshi smiled as I calmed down. We heard a knock at the door, which opened up and revealed Ruby and Ryuki.

"Is, uh... everything okay?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah, it is." I smiled.

Ruby sighed in relief.

"Now what do you say, we do some training?" Satoshi asked.

"I was waiting for you to ask that." I smiled.

 **Pov change: Blake**

I approached a darkened alleyway.

"Ilia?" I asked.

"I'm here." Ilia said.

I drew my blade. Ilia walked out from the shadows with her hands up and dropped her black camouflage.

"Ilia, I know you're scared, but you don't have to be. My family and I, we can keep you safe." I said.

"I'm sorry." Ilia said.

"You can make it up to me by helping us stop Corsac and Fennec." I said.

"No. I'm sorry." She said again as her right hand curled up into a fist. Footsteps can be heard running on the rooftop next to us. I looks up and sees someone fly down and land on my back, forcing me to the ground. I dropped Gambol Shroud which landed at Ilia's feet. I gasped , regaining my breath, and struggled to get up as the person pressed their foot against my back. They got off me as three more Faunus joined. I got back up on my feet.

"Wait-" I began.

Suddenly, I was wrapped in spiderweb silk. One of the Faunus grabbed the silk strand holding me from my hand.

"I've got her." One of them said.

"Well done, Sister Trifa - and to you, Ilia." The other Faunus said.

"Thank you. Make sure that Kagome and Shigou know that it's nearly time." Ilia said to one of the white fang members.

They nodded and ran off.

The Faunus tossed Ilia her weapon.

"Ilia! What are you doing?!" I asked.

"I tried to warn you, Blake. I'm sorry." Ilia said.

"Don't tell me you're sorry!" I said.

"But I am. I am sorry it has to be this way, but you and your family are holding the Faunus back!" Ilia said.

"Because we're trying to protect people?! In what world do you live in where attacking the innocent is the right thing to do?!" I asked.

"The same one as you! There's no such thing as innocent! There's no right thing to do! Only what's best for us! There's the humans that still hate the Faunus, and there's the others who stand by and let the hate happen! The only thing that we seemed to age in common was out]r hatred for the Grimm and that one who turned into a Grimm during Beacon. But you know what snuffs out hate? Fear. I don't like hurting people. But I'll tell you this...it's gotten us results." Ilia said.

"Yeah, look where it's gotten you." I said.

"We all have to make sacrifices for the greater good, no matter how much it hurts." Ilia said.

"And you think killing me is really for the greater good?" I asked.

"No, but getting rid of your family is." Ilia said.

My expression turned to shocked and fearful.

"You wouldn't! You can't! I won't let you!" I said.

"I know. That's why you're being sent to Mistral. To Adam." Ilia said.

I grew more afraid, almost on the verge of tears.

"Ilia, please! You don't have to do this. This isn't you!" I said.

"Yes. It. Is! But I guess back then you were just too busy falling for Adam to notice." Ilia said.

I was now confused.

"I was always jealous of the way you looked at him. I wanted you to look at me that way. But we can't always get what we want! Yuma, with me. You two, get her to the docks." Ilia said.

Ilia and Yuma left while the other two Faunus prepared to bring me with them.

"Let's go, traitor." Trifa

Trifa tugged on the silk holding me, but I remained stationary.

"Now!" I yelled.

"Huh?" Trifa asked.

Suddenly, Sun jumped out of nowhere and knocked down the Faunus next to Trifa.

"What?" Trifa asks as she drew her knife and engaged in a brief duel with Sun. He blocked her attacks with his nunchucks before disarming her. Now free from my bonds, I grabbed Trifa's shoulder and punched her square in the face, knocking her out.

"Thanks for the backup." I said.

"Thanks for the invitation. You okay?" Sun asked.

I picked up my weapon and placed it on my back.

"No. You heard Ilia, my family is in danger. Call the police and let's go!" I said.

"Right!" Sun said.

The two of us left the alleyway and began running towards home. We both took our Scrolls out to call our respective contacts.

"Come on, mom, pick up!" I said.

 **Pov change: Kali**

The guard and I flipped the table and hid from the gunfire.

"Get down!" The guard said as he got up to fire back at two White Fang soldiers. He managed to shoot one of them down, but he got shot and killed by the other, dropping his weapon. I took the pistol and started firing back.

"Get out of my house! Ghira!" I yelled.

As I called out to my husband, I was forced to take cover again from the gunfire.

 **Pov change: Ghira**

Meanwhile, myself and a couple of Menagerie guards fought off some White Fang troops in the entry hall. One of them tried to kick me, but I grabbed his foot and slammed him into the wall. I dodged a sword slash from another White Fang trooper. A guard managed to knock out another trooper after a brief scuffle, and I knocked out the troop that attacked me by punching him in the diaphragm and slamming his head into the ground.

"Go find my wife!" I said.

Another White Fang troop approached me with his fist drawn back, but I grabbed his wrist and knife handed him in the neck, and then tossed him aside. Another guard got shot while protecting me and went limp. I caught the guard's body and dropped it to the ground, with me wincing at the next pointless fallen comrade. I then growled as I turned my attention to the Albains, who had arrived with their weapons out.

"I believe it's time our dear chieftain stepped down, brother." Corsac said.

"Yes brother, I'm afraid I'm inclined to agree." Fennic said.

I let my claws out and ripped my coat off. I bared my fangs and made a feral growl at the two brothers, before letting out a mighty roar our fight began.


	60. Chapter 60

**Pov: Qrow**

Oscar was currently letting Ozpin take over, and I were sitting together. I took a sip from my cup.

"Things aren't looking good, Oz." I said.

"Ever the optimist. While I would not say our current predicament is… ideal, I think we can both agree that the situation could be much worse. Humanity is a resilient force." Ozpin said.

"Oz, pro Huntsmen like that don't just bite it all at once. Salem's powerful. It seems like her reach is growing by the day. What does that say about humanity?"

"That there are indeed a misguided few who have filled their hearts with malice. It doesn't take a great number of people to cause harm, but I still believe there are far more people in this world willing to prevent it. Take the twins for example. Even after all the things that she has endured, Ryuki believes that humanity is not as bad as she was taught to believe." Ozpin said.

As Ozpin was about to take another sip, Ruby and Ryuki walked into the room.

"Um, excuse me?" Ruby asked.

"Ah, Miss Rose, Miss Suni, join us. We were just about to gather everyone to discuss our next steps." Ozpin said.

"Oh, uh, great." Ruby said.

"Something on your mind kiddo?" I asked.

"Uh… uh, it's… if it's okay to ask." Ruby said.

"Of course." I said.

"Well, uh… we've been talking about the Relic at Haven... and the Spring Maiden, but… what about the Fall Maiden?" Ruby asked.

"Cinder?" Oz asked.

"Does that mean… Salem has the Beacon Relic?" Ruby asked.

Ozpin and I shared a brief look with each other.

"Very astute, Miss Rose, I was wondering who would be the first to ask. No, thankfully she does not. It's true that the Relic at Haven is very much at risk, and for now, that should remain our primary focus. Let's just say I made finding the Relic at Beacon a… bit more challenging than at the other schools." Ozpin said.

"Oh. That's good to hear." Ruby sighed.

"It is, but let's not forget the challenges that still lie before us." Ozpin said.

Ruby nodded.

"Now is there anything else we can help you with?" Ozpin asked.

"Oh, uh… well, I did have one more question." Ruby said.

"No, my cane is not a Relic." Ozpin said.

"I have no more questions." Ruby said.

We all chuckled at that.

"Yes, while this cane is indeed very precious to me, it is also just that - precious to me. While I admit it still has a few more tricks up its sleeve, I can firmly say that being a Relic isn't one of them. Now why don't you run and get the other students?" Ozpin said.

Suddenly, my scroll started vibrating. I takes it out from my pocket to see "LEO LIONHEART" calling. I took the call.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

"Yeah? ... Okay… yeah, we'll be there." Qrow said as he hung up.

"Who was it?" Ruby asked.

"That was Leo, says he had a breakthrough with the council. Thinks he might be able to get together a small raiding party for the bandits. He wants us to meet up at the school tomorrow night to walk us through it." Qrow said as he took his flask out.

"Really? Oh that's great! I'll go get the others." Ruby said.

Ruby and I began to run out of the room. However, I stopped and hid while Qrow took a drink from his flask.

"Mmm, that sounds drastically different from your original conversation, does it not?" Ozpin asked.

"It does." Qrow said.

"Interesting…" Ozpin said.

"Things aren't looking good, Oz." Qrow said.

"I know... miss Suni, you can come out now." I heard.

I walked up to them.

"I can tell you're troubled. What do you wish to say?" Ozpin asked.

'Sydney told me about what you two said.'

"What did we say kid?" Qrow asked.

'You were talking about my original fate with Satoshi. How it could happen.' I said.

Ozpin sighed.

"I feared that she heard it. Miss Suni, you should know that your destiny is different than most. While others have there futures decided for them, you and your brother's futures have not yet been made. An infinite amount of possibilities can happen." Ozpin said.

'What was our original fate? The whole thing.' I said.

Qrow and Ozpin looked at each other.

"*sigh* In the world of darkness, the twins shall step into the castle of Grimm. As they fight, one shall be gravely wounded and the other shall lose their leg. They shall find what they seek. However the risk for humanity's peace will be made through the sacrifice of the twins. Through their sacrifices, shall they help vanquish the Grimm. That was the original prophecy, but Salem saw to changing that. And without the book, I do not know what your fate is now." Ozpin said.

I nodded.

"Try not to get too into it kid." Qrow said.

I nodded again.

"Why don't you head back to see Ruby and the others." Ozpin said.

I nodded once more before walking away.

 **Pov change: Raven**

The call just ended but I was still curious.

"I still have questions for you." I said.

"You're not alone in that." Leo said.

"You know, I never expected you would be the one to have the guts to betray Oz. Which makes me wonder, what does she have on you?" I asked.

"I'm helping her for the same reason you are - I'm afraid. We… we can't stop her… no one can…" he said.

"That's why I tried to leave when I did. I'm not afraid, I'm smart." I said.

"You can call it whatever you want, it doesn't really matter. We're here… helping her. I've crossed a line… I've done things that Ozpin will never forgive, and he shouldn't! I don't know where I go from here." Leo said.

"Man up! You did what you had to do to survive, there is no shame in that." I said.

"Who are you trying to convince?" Leo asked.

I didn't say anything, I just left the room.

 **Pov change: Kali**

The assault on the house continued. In the darkened tea room, a guard and myself fired back at the unseen assailants. I ran out of ammo in my pistol and threw it to the ground in annoyance. I then picked up a tea tray to block another shot. I looked to the wounded female guard leaning against a pillar, who stared back.

"Do you have a better idea?" I asked.

Suddenly, Yuma flew in and knocked down the other guard to the ground. He wrapped his hands around the guard's throat to choke him out.

"Quiet now…" he said.

I then lifted the tea tray above my head, and made a loud battle cry as I ran towards Yuma.

"Ma'am, no!" The guard yelled.

Yuma let go of the guard's neck as he looked back in surprise as I approached him.

 **Pov change: Blake**

I ran in to a room and saw Ilia was away from the fight but still here. Ilia and I stared at each other from our positions, both holding our weapons.

"Did you come in here to hide?" I asked.

"I told you, I didn't want this." Ilia said.

"But you're still here!" I said.

"I don't have a choice!" Ilia said.

"Of course you do!" I said.

Ilia didn't say anything, she just looked away.

"Just… stay out of my way." I said as I put my weapon on my back and started walking away.

Suddenly, Ilia leapt and charged at me but I left a clone and it's form disappeared. I then reappeared a few feet behind Ilia. I held my blade in a defensive stance, while Ilia began to attack with the whip form of her weapon. I dodged and rolled. I ran along the desks and chairs in the room as Ilia tried to use her whip to hit me. I managed to dodge and block Ilia's attacks, and used my ribbon to wrap around Ilia's wrist. Ilia was pulled toward me, followed up with the latter kicking her to the ground. The two of us then locked blades with each other.

"Why do you feel like we have to hurt people to get our way?!" I asked.

"Because it works!" Ilia said.

"That doesn't make it right!" I yelled.

Ilia pulled the trigger on her weapon, giving an electrical charge that caused me to drop my katana a few feet away from me. I pulled out my cleaver, but Ilia jumped from the desk and did a turn kick that knocked me over another desk, causing me to drop my weapon. Ilia whipped at me again, but I used my Semblance to get out of the way. I took cover behind a desk.

"You know what isn't right?! My parents who did nothing wrong were killed and forgotten. But when that Grimm kid was killed after slaughtering humans and Faunus, he comes back. It's not fair! It never will be so stop lecturing me!" Ilia said.

Grimm kid? Satoshi?

"What're you talking about?!" I asked.

I peeked from behind the desk and noticed Ilia's Grimm mask left behind on the ground. Ilia turned the lights off in the room, causing it to go dark. I quickly went to pick up my katana while Ilia snuck around the room camouflaged. I heard a creak on the floor, but Ilia quickly knocked me back. I used the pistol form of my weapon to shoot at Ilia, who quickly evaded the shots.

"Why couldn't you just leave?!" Ilia asked.

"Because I run away too much." I said.

I dodged a couple more whips from Ilia. As I took cover from behind the desk, I took out two cartridges - one with fire Dust and the other with ice. I loads the fire Dust cartridge in my weapon and aims at the shrubbery at the top corner of the room.

"Sorry, dad." I said as I fired my weapon and the spreading flames start to light up the room, revealing Ilia's location. With camouflage not an option anymore, Ilia engaged me in combat. The two of us start off with a mixture of sword clashes and hand-to-hand. I dodged out of the way of one of Ilia's attacks and started shooting at her with the pistol form of my weapon. Ilia deflects the shots with her whip.

"Quit taking potshots and fight me like you mean it!" Ilia yelled.

I dodged another one of Ilia's whips and landed on the balcony above her. I took cover behind the railing as Ilia ranted at me.

"You used to see things the way I did! The way Adam did! If no one's going to do anything to stop the humans that attack us, then the only choice we have left… is to attack back!" Ilia said.

I loaded another cartridge in my pistol and began to fire at Ilia again. Ilia deflected the shots, but when she went to use her whip again, her weapon was frozen in place. Suddenly, my ribbon wrapped around her weapon as I pulled it away and leapt from the balcony to kick Ilia to the ground. I held Ilia down.

"You're wrong, there's always another choice." I said.

Ilia struggled to get up as I continued to hold her down.

"Ilia… please. You're a good person but you're making all the wrong decisions!" I said.

"SHUT UP!" Ilia yelled.

"Is this really what your parents would've wanted?!" I asked.

"I don't know what else to do!" Ilia said as her voice cracked.

Suddenly, Ilia ceased her struggling and her eyes started to well up.

"I don't know what else to do…" Ilia began sobbing.

As Ilia continued sobbing, I heard a rumble. Corsac was thrown through the wall, dropping his weapons. Dad jumped into the room as he growled at Corsac. He then notices me pinning Ilia to the ground.

"Blake!" He said.

Suddenly, Fennec stabbed dad in the back, who cried out in pain and slumped toward the ground.

"Dad!" I yelled.

With I was distracted, Ilia got me off her and kicked me into a nearby chair, knocking me out momentarily. I slowly came to and saw dad get Fennec off his back and tossed him away as Corsac ran to him. I pulls the dagger out of his back and clashed fists with Corsac. The two then struggled to push each other as their hands interlocked. Ilia just stared in disbelief at what was going on around her, before a voice snapped her out of her trance.

"Ilia! What are you doing?! Fight!" Fennec said as he pulled out another dagger and charged at dad. The chieftain managed to push off Corsac and dodged Fennec's swipes as he began to fight both of them at once. Fennec got tossed away for a bit and began to charge his weapon while Corsac and Ghira continued exchanging blows. Fennec then charged in again, giving a loud battle cry. Dad noticed him and grabbed his wrist, pointing his weapon as it fired at Corsac, who was blown back several feet away and was knocked unconscious.

"BROTHER!" Fennec yelled.

Fennec tried to attack dad again, but Sun jumped in and kicked him away. Sun saw me struggling to get back up and glared at Ilia.

"Go help Blake!" Dad said.

"On it!" Sun said as he pulled out and engaged Ilia in combat. He delivered a flurry of attacks with his shotgun nunchucks that overwhelmed Ilia and disarmed her. She was pushed against a pillar by Sun. As she struggled to get out of his hold, the pillar started to crack.

"Stop!" I yelled.

Sun and Ilia stopped to look at me.

"Please…" I begged.

Ilia managed to push Sun off her and fell to the ground. Suddenly the pillar started to crack even more, Sun moved out of the way quickly as the balcony above Ilia started to give way. Ilia yelped as the balcony was about to fall on her. Suddenly, dad lifted the broken part of the balcony with his own strength.

"Go!" Dad said.

Ilia quickly got out of the way as dad was forced down on one knee to keep the balcony from falling on him. Sun used his Semblance to summon two light clones that went and helped dad lift. I grabbed my katana and transformed it. Unbeknownst to us, Fennec got back up and saw his brother still unconscious. He grabbed both of the daggers and ran towards dad. I saw this and quickly used my weapon to wrap it around dad's torso and pulled him out as Fennec landed just below the falling balcony. Fennec was then crushed by the balcony, and the Dust in the daggers exploded from impact, killing him. After all that, mom entered the room dragging an unconscious Yuma, who had his hands tied behind his back.

"Mom!" I said.

Mom dropped Yuma as I hugged her. Our was is cut short as a voice got our attention.

"What have you done? You ruined everything... EVERYTHIIIIIIING!" Corsac yelled.

All of us took defensive stances. Corsac angrily ran forward, but suddenly, Ilia's weapon wrapped around his body, electrocuting him and knocking him unconscious. With the battle over, Ilia started to cry and fell to her knees as she broke down.

 **Later**

We walked through the house and outside.

"Back! Everyone, stay back! We've got people inside doing their best." The guards yelled.

"Look!" Someone yelled.

Dad walked out carrying the motionless bodies of a White Fang soldier and a Menagerie Guard on each of his shoulders. He handed the bodies to two guards as the head guard arrived.

"Get in there! Search for any stragglers!" Saber yelled.

More guards walked out keeping Corsac restrained, followed by mom, Sun, Ilia, myself, and others.

"We came as soon as we got the call. And Fennec?" Saber asked.

Dad sadly shook his head. Saber walked over to Corsac.

"Was it worth it?" He asked.

Corsac looked down, defeated. As the commotion continued, I shared brief looks with Sun and Ilia. I took a deep sigh as I went down the steps. Dad noticed me walking away.

"Blake!"

Before dad could continue, I knew mom stopped him. I then stopped at one of the steps as I began to address the crowd.

"Humans didn't do this. We did this: Faunus. We did this to ourselves. We are just as capable of hate and violence as the humans, but I don't think any of us would jump at the chance to point that out. So why are we letting Adam do it for us?! By doing nothing and staying silent, we let others speak and act in our place. And if we're not proud of the choices they make, then we have no one to blame but ourselves. This is the message that Adam Taurus will bring to the world if no one stops him. But we can stop him! You have to understand that all of you are looking for simple answers to a very complicated problem. And I can't give that to you. I don't know how to make hate go away, I don't. You are also scared. You were scared of Satoshi when he became the Grimm. But Satoshi wasn't like that and neither is his sister. I can't change your fear. But I know that this kind of violence is not the solution. I understand that to ask you to leave your homes and protect Haven Academy is asking you to put your lives at risk. But that's what's at stake. So I'm going, and I'll stand by myself if I have to." I said.

"I'll stand with you!" I heard.

I turned around as Ilia stood up.

"If… if you'd have me." She said as she looked down.

"You're not going anywhere!" Saber said.

"Let her come." I said.

"Huh? You're just going to forgive her? After everything she did?!" He asked.

"I am." I said.

Saber looked to dad, who nodded to let Ilia go. Ilia continued to walk down the steps to stand next to me.

"What does she think she's doing?" Saber asked.

"She's learned a lesson that evaded me until I was much older: That there is strength in forgiveness." Dad said.

I put a hand on Ilia's shoulder, both of us sharing a smile.

Soon, many other Faunus joined. Sun walked down the steps to join her and Ilia. The crowd was cheering as a majority agree to volunteer. We all smiled at the crowd.

"Looks like we've got work to do." Sun said.

"Thank you." I said.

"You stabbed me." Sun said to Ilia.

Ilia looked down sorrowfully.

"I-" Sun pinched her arm, "Ow!"

"There. Let's just call it even." Sun said.

"Ilia, what did you mean about Satoshi?" I asked.

Sun looked at her as well.

"You two didn't hear?" Ilia asked.

Sun and I looked at each other.

"Satoshi is alive, he's in Haven right now with his sister and team." Ilia said.

I looked at Sun who looked at me.

"Looks like we have an additional reason to go to Haven." Sun said.

Mom and dad then walked down the steps to join me and my friends.

"We have about two weeks before Adam's attack on Haven. We're going to need shields, training, whatever we can do to protect as many people as possible." Dad said.

"We'll need transportation too. For everyone." Mom said.

"I think I know a ship captain who owes us a favor." I said.

Sun grinned and nods in agreement.

"Let's get started." Sun said.


	61. Chapter 61

**Pov: Satoshi**

The full moon illuminated the night sky above Haven Academy. On the school grounds, Qrow lead all of us as we followed close behind. Ruby stopped and looked up to admire Haven's CCT tower.

"Whoa." Ruby said.

Ryuki tapped her shoulder and pointed at us.

"Got it, I'm coming." Ruby said as we followed the rest of the group to the nearby building. We entered the building and we were all greeted by Lionheart, who was standing on the terrace at the top of the stairs that was being held up by a statue.

"Why hello. Thank you for... coming. There… seems to be more of you than last time. Tatsumi? What're you doing here? I forbade you from coming back." He said.

"Eh, you know what they say, "The more the merrier." So what's going on with the council?" Qrow said.

"Why… did you bring your weapons?" Leo asked.

"What? Leo, we're Huntsmen. You okay?" Qrow asked.

"Of course! Of course, sorry. Just haven't had my evening coffee." Leo said.

"Look, it's nice to see you, but we got work to do. Are we getting support from the council or not?" Qrow asked.

While the two talked, I saw Yang staring at something. A black bird perched on a balcony railing.

"Mom?" Yang asked.

All of our attention was turned to the bird. It flew away just as Qrow shot at it, but he missed. The bird flew down behind Leo, transforming into Raven, donning a white mask. We all glared at her.

"Raven…" Ruby said.

"They… they really are magic…" Nora said.

"If you're going to shoot me, shoot me. That was insulting." Raven said.

"What are you doing here?!" Qrow asked.

"I could ask you the same thing. You've been scheming, little brother. Planning to attack your own sister." Raven said as she walked downstairs.

She looked at me.

"So you're the Grimm boy. I expected you to be a bit tougher looking." She said.

I reached up and pulled off my eyepatch. Ryuki did the same thing.

"Leo… what have you done?!" Qrow asked.

"I…"

"Leo did what any sane person would in his position - he looked at all the information he had in front of him, assessed the situation, and made a choice. And it seems you all have too." Raven said.

"You have the Spring Maiden." Qrow said.

"I do." Raven said.

"Then hand her over and let's work together! We can beat Salem!" Qrow said.

"All that time spent spying for Ozpin and you still have no idea what you're dealing with. The twins can't stop her! I can't stop her! There is no beating Salem!" Raven said.

"You're wrong. We've done things that most people would call impossible, and I know the only reason we were able to do it is because we didn't do it alone! We had people to teach us, people to help us, we had each other. I don't know what Ryuki and Satoshi can do against Salem but I can assume they can do quite a bit to her. We need to work together. Work with us. At least I know we'll have a better chance if we try together. Please." Ruby said as she held her hand out. Raven glared at it.

"You sound just like your mother." Raven said as she drew her sword and created a portal with her Semblance. From the portal, a fireball was launched at Ruby, but Ryuki jumped in front of it, hitting both her and Ruby. They landed several feet back.

"Ruby!" Yang yelled.

"Ryuki!" I yelled.

While we ran to our sisters, Cinder stepped out of the portal.

"Hello boys and girls." Cinder said.

She was then joined by Vernal, Emerald and Mercury as they too stepped out from the portal.

"Ryuki? Are you okay?" Ruby asked.

Ryuki nodded.

"Cinder…" Ruby glared at Cinder.

Cinder and her group lined up alongside Raven, much to our surprise.

"C'mon guys, is that any way to greet your old friends?" Mercury asked.

Yang growled at him.

"Shut the hell up Mercury." I said.

Cinder looked at Ryuki and I.

"Ooh they're both here. Even better." Cinder said.

I growled and began to move forward when qrow stopped me.

"Everybody, stay calm." Qrow said.

Suddenly we heard the doors behind us open.

"Oh no…" Oscar said.

Hazel is seen closing the doors behind him as he entered with Kagome and a bull Faunus.

"The White Fang is prepping demolition and securing the school grounds. No one's getting in, and no one's getting out." He said.

"Shoulda listened sweetheart." Kagome said.

Tatsumi pulled out his weapon as did Sydney. Ryuki grabbed her bow and I pulled out my sword.

"I want him." The bull pointed at me. "You can take the dog."

"*sigh* Fine Sighou." Kagome said.

We watched as Hazel and the two slowly approached us. We then turned their attention back to Cinder.

"This was all just a trap?" Weiss asked.

"It appears so…" Ren said.

"Raven, tell me… how long have you been with them?" Qrow asked.

"Aww, don't take it personally, little bird. Your sister was a recent addition. The lion on the other hand… Entrance into the Vytal Festival was a real treat, Leonardo's been sending Salem all sorts of information for a very, very long time. Isn't that right, professor?" Cinder asked.

"Stop it…" Leo said.

"It was you… you sit on the Mistral Council. You had information on every Huntsman and Huntress in the Kingdom, and you gave it all to her?" Qrow asked.

"I-"

"I couldn't find any of them, because you let her kill them!" Qrow said.

"You… you coward!" Tatsumi said. "You killed some of my oldest friends!"

"Aw now, don't beat yourself up about it, Lionheart, I'm sure Tyrian and Hazel would've found them on their own eventually."

"What is wrong with you? How can you be so broken inside… to take so many lives, and then come here and rub it in our faces like it's something to be proud of?!" Jaune asked.

"Jaune…" Nora said.

"All with that damn smile on your face!" Jaune yelled.

The rest of the group drew their weapons.

"Everybody, stay calm!" Qrow said.

"I'm gonna make you pay for what you did! Do you hear me?!" Jaune yelled.

"Kid!" Qrow said.

"Well?! SAY SOMETHING!" Jaune yelled.

"…Who are you again?" Cinder asked.

At this, Jaune transformed his sword to its two-handler form and advanced forward. Cinder summoned an obsidian scimitar and blocked Jaune's attack.

"Jaune!" Ruby yelled.

Ruby leapt into the air, but a chain wrapped around her and she was pulled to the ground by Emerald.

"You're not getting near her." Emerald said.

Jaune was then pushed back by Cinder and the two began their duel. Yang ran forward to join the fight, but Mercury landed in front of her.

"Hey there, blondie. I'm thinking you owe me an apology for my leg, don't ya think?" Mercury said.

Yang growled and used her gauntlet to project herself forward.

I ran at Mercury when suddenly I was tackled by Sighou. He ran through the wall and into another room.

"Satoshi!" Yang yelled before getting back to the fight at hand.

Tatsumi, Sydney, and Ryuki ran through the hole and almost made it to me but Kagome stopped them.

"Let's stick to a threesome. No Grimm allowed." She said before they started fighting.

Ryuki ran around and made it to me as I looked at Sighou.

"Time to see what you two made of, Grimm boy." Sighou said emotionlessly.

 **Pov change: Qrow**

"Take out the heiress. Don't bother wasting your power, she's not worth it." Raven said.

Raven then drew her sword as Qrow used his scythe blade to lock blades with his sister.

"Running away was one thing, but this… you've crossed the line!" Qrow said.

"Sorry, brother. Sometimes family disappoints you like that." Raven said.

"We're not family anymore." Qrow said.

"Were we ever?" Raven asked.

"I thought so, but I guess I was wrong." Qrow said as the two then proceeded with their fight.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

I charged at Sighou and swung but he dodged and grabbed an arrow that was fired by Ryuki and snapped it before charging at her. I jumped up and threw my sword at him before almost landing a kick. He rolled out of the way and we engaged in hand to hand combat. He was much faster and landed more blows before knocking my hands up and kicking me back.

"So far, I'm unimpressed." He said as he jumped towards me.

 **Pov change: Sydney**

"My oh my Tatsumi, I thought that I told you to stay away." Kagome said.

"And I thought that you were smarter than this." Tatsumi said.

She frowned and glared at me.

"This all your fault." She said as she charged at me.

I jumped up and shot at her, but her speed made her dodge most of my bullets.

"Come here." Kagome said as she leapt at me and kicked me down.

Tatsumi ran in front of me and blocked her attack.

 **Pov change: Ren**

Hazel was in front of the hole to Satoshi and the others.

"I don't wish to fight either of you." Hazel said.

"Nor I you." I said.

"But we will if you're with her!" Nora said.

"Very well, then." He said as he cracked his knuckles and proceeded forward.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

I flew back as Sighou landed another hit on me.

"So disappointing. I expected a big beast, but you're just another man." He huffed.

I stabbed the ground and stood up. I glared at him and felt my arms shape into claws.

"Hmph, let's see if that'll help." He said as he charged at me.

 **Pov change: Jaune**

I was knocked to the ground as Cinder chuckled.

"I'm starting to remember you, you're the dense one that can't tell when he's out of his league." She said.

We locked blades again and as we fought, I saw all of my friends. Ruby was fighting Emerald, Satoshi was pressing claws against fists with Sighou as Weiss was fighting with Vernal. Sydney and Tatsumi were fighting Kagome but Sydney was knocked back into the wall. Weiss stabbed the ground and began to form something when verbal stepped up and shot lasers at Weiss, making her aura break and making Weiss scream. At the same time, Sighou pressed forward and we heard bones snap and Satoshi scream. His claws were broken in half and he was kicked to the ground.

"Are you going to let her die too?" Cinder asked.

"Stop messing with me!" I yelled.

"If that's what you want…" Cinder said as she ignited her scimitar, which was now fully coated in flames. Cinder and I proceeded forward to clash.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

I looked up to see Sighou on top of me. He punched my chest again and again when I heard the aura armor break open, making blood cough up. I saw Kagome as she and Tatsumi fought and she was getting tired but still was winning.

"What a shame…" he began.

*wham* he punched my face.

"I expected a challenge…"

*wham*

"I expected a beast…"

*wham*

"What were you again?" He asked as he readied his last punch.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" We heard Ruby yell.

The entire place lit up but quickly died down. I had no clue what was going on but something seemed to be happening.

At that moment, Ryuki ran up and stabbed Sighou with three frozen arrows. They exploded and he seemed hurt by it, but not enough. He grabbed Ryuki by the throat and flung her into the wall, knocking her out. I felt myself getting enraged and saw my arms begin to morph and change color.

 **Pov change: Jaune**

A bright light engulfed the area, but died down when Ruby was knocked unconscious by Emerald. Suddenly, Cinder fell to her knees, holding her arm in pain. She looked up, and barely missed my attack as it chipped her mask that concealed the left side of her face. As Cinder moves out of the way, I tripped and fell. Cinder got back up enraged, activating her Maiden power while doing so. She then stepped on top of me to hold me down.

"Did you think you actually had a chance against me?! You?! You're just a failure with a death wish." She said as I tried to grab my sword.

"If I die buying them time, then it's worth it. They're the ones that matter." I said.

Cinder looked at everyone as they fought against their respective enemies, before smiling evilly back down to me.

"You think so?" Cinder asked.

We then saw Weiss land after an attack and Cinder approached her with an obsidian spear.

"No… NOOOOOOO!" I yelled.

Cinder threw the spear as it impaled Weiss through her abdomen. She gasped in shock as everyone, even in the other room stopped their fighting and stared in shock as well. The spear then disintegrated as Weiss motionlessly slumped forward.


	62. Chapter 62

**Pov change: Oscar**

"WEISS!" Jaune yelled as he quickly got up and ran past Cinder. I watched Jaune approach and pick up the unconscious Weiss from his position. I then looked over to the unconscious Ruby. I saw Sighou as he stared over here while holding Satoshi in his hands. Angered, I smacked Leo with my cane, causing him to fall down the stairs and into Hazel, who remained unfazed as Lionheart fell to the ground.

 **Pov change: Sighou**

I saw the Schnee bitch get stabbed, I looked eown at the Grimm boy.

"Another disappointment." I said as I readied my fist and struck.

However, he grabbed my fist with a pure white Grimm claw as he opened his eyes towards me, showing me his two Grimm eyes.

"You wanna know what I am?" His voice was demonic. "Allow me to show you just what. I. Am." With every word, his body morphed into a bright light. When it died down, I saw a pure white beowolf holding my hand, crushing it slowly.

"AGH!" I groaned as he crushed it and kicked me back.

Perhaps this may be a good fight.

 **Pov change: Tatsumi**

We heard the loud roar and saw Satoshi as a pure white Grimm.

"Is that good?" Sydney asked.

"I'm not sure, but I do know one thing." I looked at Kagome. "She's getting tired."

She was panting as she readied another attack.

Before she attacked, we heard another scream.

"OZPIN!" Hazel screamed. "You thought you could hide from ME?!"

He ripped up his coat and pulled out two dust crystals.

"You'll pay for what you did! You'll die over and over again!" He said as he stabbed the lightning Dust into his arms, with his blood vessels turning yellow and popping out from his skin as well as having some lightning coat them. His eyes glowed yellow, and he lets out an intimidating roar.

"W-What the hell is that?" Sydney asked.

"We'll focus on that later. We got a bird to fry." I said as Kagome attacked.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

I opened my eyes to see Satoshi as a Grimm again, but this time pure white. I got up and saw him attack Sighou, who charged at Satoshi. Sighou delivered a kick, but was grabbed by the leg and slammed into the ground multiple times by Satoshi before being thrown up into the air. I grabbed an ice arrow and fired it at the ceiling, trapping him to the ceiling.

Satoshi glared at me and roared.

I put my bow on my back and extended my hand towards him.

He shook his head and leaned forward, pressing his forehead against my hand.

It's good to see you back, Brother.

We looked up to hear the ice explode and Sighou landed on the floor. Satoshi shoved me to the right and beat his chest before roaring.

 **Pov change: Yang**

I saw Cinder, vernal, and mom open the access way to the vault. I watched the situation in front of me. I looked to Jaune and Ren as they tended to Weiss, and then looked over to see Satoshi as a Grimm fighting Sighou and Tatsumi and Sydney fighting Kagome. I then looked over to Nora who was still trying to wake Ruby up. Nora looked to me.

"Stop them! We've got your team covered!" Nora said.

I lingered a bit before heeding Nora's advice, but got kicked to the ground by Mercury. He was then joined by Emerald.

"You wanna get to them? You're going to have to get through all of us." Emerald said as she used her Semblance to create multiple copies of Mercury, which surrounded me. Meanwhile, Jaune uses his hands to apply pressure on Weiss' wound, while Ren holds her wrist checking her pulse.

 **Pov change: jaune**

"Ren, talk to me!" I said.

"This is bad." Red said. My eyes widened in horror.

"No, no, no, no, not again! Weiss, c'mon, please!" I begged.

 **Pov change: Raven**

"Make sure they leave Ruby alive. This won't take long. Oh… and it sounds like our little friend is back, be sure to hit him and his sister with these." Cinder handed Leo two small rage agents.

Cinder stepped onto the platform. I looked back a bit as I heard Yang fighting vainly, shaking my head before I stepped on the platform too. The platform then lowered down.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

Sighou ran up and punched Satoshi in the stomach, making him fly back. However, he clawed the ground and propelled back and kicked Sighou in the chest. He landed on his feet against the wall. Sighou yelled and propelled himself at Satoshi with his bull horns aimed at Satoshi's chest. I pulled out an arrow and fired at him, hitting his leg, making his aim next to nothing. Satoshi grabbed the two bull horns as the two collided. Satoshi gave a loud roar and in seconds, we heard a snap and screaming. Satoshi stood over Sighou as he was weighing on the floor with two broken bull horns in his hands.

 **Pov change: Tatsumi**

Kagome flew towards me when Sydney appeared and planted her bladed guns into Kagome's arm, making her crash. We heard the scream and saw the aftermath of Satoshi's fight.

"SIGHOU!" Kagome yelled.

She looked at her arm and then at us as I held my blade at her throat.

"You're injured. Your partner is injured. You've lost." I said.

She looked at me.

"Get out of here." I said.

"Not a goodbye kiss?" She asked.

"Nah. I'm more of a dog person." I smirked.

We heard a roar and saw Satoshi raise his paw for one last strike when Ryuki stood in front of him.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

Satoshi seemed upset about this, so I spoke to him.

'We are not like them. We do not kill. We must show them that or else we would be no better than them.' I said.

Satoshi looked at me before growling and pushing me aside.

I pulled out my bow when Satoshi punched Sighou unconscious. He looked back and seemed happy.

Kagome appeared and threw down smoke bombs and when the smoke cleared, they were both gone.

"We won in here." Tatsumi said as he walked over with Sydney.

We all looked out into the main room.

"The main fight is in there." Sydney said.

Suddenly, Leo appeared and fired two objects at Satoshi and I. I lifted my hands up and quickly grabbed them with my semblance and saw that they were rage agents. He seemed scared once I caught them as I crushed the two objects.

"It'll take more than a bit of anger to stop us 'headmaster'." Tatsumi said as we proceeded forward.

 **Pov change: Oscar**

I dodged out of the way as Hazel slammed his fist into the ground.

'Oscar.'

"No!" I said.

I dodged another attack from Hazel.

'Oscar!'

"I told you, no!" I yelled.

I got punched back by Hazel several feet into a column.

'Please, let me take over! I can handle him!'

"You told me I needed to fight for myself! So I will." I said.

'This is not your fight!' Ozpin said.

"What does that mean? Why is he so upset with us?" I asked.

"He didn't tell you my tale, did he, boy? I thought you looked familiar, to think that evil was inside you when our paths first crossed. Your blood won't be on my hands, it'll be on his." Hazel said as he readied his attack.

Qrow jumped in the way to block Hazel's attack, but he slams his fist into the ground, the shockwave knocking both him and myself back. We both get back up as Qrow engages Hazel.

"What was he talking about?" I asked.

"Tell him, Ozpin! Tell him how you KILLED HER!" Hazel yelled.

"Her?" I asked.

'Gretchen Rainart was Hazel's sister. Despite her brother's wishes, she enrolled at Beacon Academy to become a Huntress and tragically lost her life on a training mission. Hazel… holds me responsible. Please, let me fight. I know Hazel. He's wounded in a way that cannot be healed.' Ozpin said.

"You know now!" He tossed qrow down. "You can forgive me for what I'm about to do."

"Did she know?" I asked.

Hazel stopped in place at my inquiry.

"Did she know the risk of being a Huntress?" I asked.

"She was only a child! She wasn't ready!" Hazel said.

"She made a choice! A choice to put others before herself! So do I." I said.

Hazel just glared at me.

"Then you've chosen death!" He said.

I glared back, determined.

'I'm sorry.' Ozpin said.

"What?" I asked.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

We walked through the hole and saw Oscar's eyes glow and his body fall to the ground as Ozpin took over him. Ozpin looked up, and Hazel looked back at him, enraged.

"OzzzzPIIIIIIIIN!" Hazel screamed.

I looked over and saw… Ruby! I ran over and slid over to her and held her hand.

We heard a roar and saw Satoshi glare at Hazel, who looked back at him.

"This has nothing to do with you boy." Hazel said.

Satoshi beat his chest before roaring again, symbolizing that he wants a fight.

"Very well then." Hazel said as he got into a fighting stance.

 **Pov change: jaune**

"She's hardly breathing. I… I don't know what we can do…" Ren said.

"No, it wasn't supposed to be like this! Please! We can't lose anyone else…" I said.

I closed his eyes. Suddenly, a faint shimmering sound was heard and a white aura started to coat over Weiss' body. Weiss suddenly gasped for breath again.

 **Pov change: Cinder**

"Are you nervous, girl? The first Maiden in - why, I'm not sure anyone knows how many years - is about to open a vault. I would say it's quite an exciting time. Don't you feel honored?" I asked.

"No, I'm not concerned with any of this. All I care about is my tribe - my family. This is a burden, not an honor." She said.

"You've conditioned her quite well, Raven." I said.

As the three of us continued to ride down the platform, we saw the vault under Haven Academy - a massive cavern with a large tree that had glowing orange flowers. The platform reached the bottom, and the gate protecting the vault was lowered into the ground.

"Hm, it's certainly grander than Beacon's. I wonder what the extra effort was for." I wondered.

"Can we please not linger?" Raven asked.

"After you." I said.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

Ruby woke up and lifted herself up.

"Ryuki! What's happening?" Ruby asked.

Hazel and Ozpin fought each other intensely before Satoshi swipes at Hazel who dodged the attack and punched Satoshi back before engaging ozpin again. Lionheart tried to intervene by launching another attack from his weapon, but was stopped by Qrow. The two of them fought each other, with Qrow blocking Lionheart's projectiles. Ozpin and Hazel engaged against each other again. Hazel tried to smash him with his fists, but Ozpin was too fast for him. Eventually, Ozpin manages to knock Hazel down to his knees and Satoshi kicked his stomach, making Hazel go on all fours. Ozpin then twirls his cane and prepared to deliver the finishing blow, but Hazel roared and smashed his fists into the ground, creating another lightning shockwave, launching Oz and Satoshi back. Tatsumi and Sydney were wounded from their fight and waiting for their aura to recover. Meanwhile, Weiss started to gasp and breathe normally again as the white aura encoating her continued to glow.

"Huh? Wha- what's happening?" Jaune asked.

"Weiss!" Ruby said.

Nora and I helped Ruby up on her feet, who then quickly ran over to her teammate's side.

"What happened? What's going on?!" Ruby asked.

"I think she's going to be okay! She seems to be stabilizing." Ren said.

With Weiss breathing again, Ruby smiled. We then heard her sister struggling, we looks over her shoulder to see Yang getting knocked back by Mercury. Yang charged forward, but Mercury's form disappeared as a result of another one of Emerald's Semblance hallucinations. Emerald then created an image of Raven, which Yang was hesitant to attack. Yang then blocked another attack from Mercury, but she was then knocked down again. We then looked over to Oscar and Satoshi fighting Hazel, with the latter's attack becoming too wild and unpredictable for the young boy. Hazel grabbed Satoshi and slammed him into the ground before throwing him to the side. Oscar was then hit by one of Lionheart's projectiles, and held his shoulder in pain. Hazel was about to punch at Oscar again, but Qrow pushed Oscar out of the way and took the blow in his back, launching him upwards. Ruby then lifts Jaune's hands up to see that Weiss' wound had closed.

"Whatever you're doing, don't stop!" Ruby said.

"I won't." Jaune said.

"Good. Oscar needs help." Ruby said.

"I'm on it." Ren said.

"Jaune and Weiss still need cover!" Ruby said.

Ren takes out his weapons, while Nora approached his side holding her hammer. Tatsumi held his sword, and Sydney held her guns.

"No one's gonna touch 'em." Nora said.

"Okay, make it happen, RNJR! Come on Ryuki." Ruby said.

Ruby stood back up, transforming Crescent Rose into its scythe form and flipped over. I pulled out an arrow, firing an explosive arrow at three Mercurys clumped together, making them disappear. Ruby landed to her sister's side, knocking Emerald back. Emerald's Semblance copies of Mercury then disappear, reforming back into the main Mercury.

"Thanks, guys. You okay?" Yang asked.

"No, I'm angry." Ruby said as she proceeded forward.

 **Pov change: Raven**

Vernal, Cinder, and I walked towards the Relic chamber. Suddenly, a symbol on the ground glowed bright, as well as the circle enclosed around it. Similar circles with symbols on them also glowed leading up to the Relic chamber's door. The tree's flowers then began to glow even more, and it's petals gently fell and float around the vault. One petal fell into Vernal's hand.

"Having fun?" Cinder asked.

Vernal glared back at Cinder as the petal in her hand dissolved into particles.

"Vernal, stay focused." I said.

"Oh, come now, Raven, let her enjoy this. It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience." Cinder said.

"How does this work?" Verbal asked.

"Once the Spring Maiden places her hand on the door, it will open. For you - and only you. Then I will walk into the vault, and retrieve the Relic. No one else. Is that clear?" Cinder asked.

"Yes." Vernal said.

"It doesn't matter to us. Let's get this over with." I said.

"Alright then. Vernal, when you're ready." Cinder said.

Vernal approached the door. While she did so, I slowly reached for the hilt of my sword, but stopped when Cinder spoke.

"You know, I've heard so many stories about you, Raven. They say you're a cunning leader, that you're strong, that you're clever."

Vernal hovers her fingertips close to the door.

"It's a shame that they're wrong…" Cinder said before she let out a blue, frost-like projectile from her hand.

"VERNAL!" I reached out, but I was too late as I is froze in place from Cinder's attack. Vernal took her hand away from the door and took her weapons out on Cinder, but she was stabbed in her stomach. Vernal looked down and noticed an elongated Grimm hand coming from Cinder's left arm.

"It's nothing personal, dear. You're just not worthy of such power. But I am..." Cinder said.

Vernal was then pushed to the ground, and she screamed out in pain as she struggled to get the Grimm hand out of her stomach. The ice coating around me began to crack.

"So I will take… what is mine…" Cinder said.

Eventually, Vernal stopped struggling, and went motionless and quiet. Cinder smirked as she looks down on Vernal's body, but then realized that something was wrong.

"Wha- what is this? Where's the power?!" Cinder asked.

Cinder heard me break from the ice behind her and looked at me.

"You won't find it, because Vernal isn't the Spring Maiden… I am!" I yelled as I activated my maiden powers.


	63. Chapter 63

**Pov: Ryuki**

Ruby, Yang, and I were facing off against Emerald and Mercury. The sisters switched positions and leapt forward to take on their opponents as I provided a distraction and fired multiple smoke arrows at the two. Yang knocked into Emerald while Ruby took on Mercury. He used his left boot to kick Crescent Rose out of Ruby's hands.

"Uh oh, what're you gonna do now?" Mercury said.

Mercury tried to throw a left cross, but she ducked and headbutted him upwards. Mercury stepped a few feet backwards and held his nose in pain, before growling at Ruby.

"Whatever it takes to shut you up." Ruby said.

 **Pov change: Tatsumi.**

"You guys doing okay?" Nora asked.

"I- I think so. She's coming to. I just wish this would go faster." Jaune said.

"How about you don't complain and just be thankful you unlocked your Semblance when you did." Nora said.

"My Semblance?" Jaune asked.

"We never did learn it. Maybe it's finally shown up." I said.

"How else do you think you're healing her, dummy?" Nora asked.

Jaune stared back at her in disbelief before looking back down at Weiss.

"No. I don't think I'm healing her. Our Aura heals our bodies. It feels… it feels more like I'm using my Aura to amplify hers!" Jaune said.

"Wait, aren't you worried about running out?" Nora asked.

"Pyrrha once told me I've got a lot of it. I still believe her." Jaune said.

"Jaune?" Weiss asked as she opened her eyes.

"Can you stop with the chit chat and help us?!" We heard Sydney yell as she was thrown off of Hazel's back. Ren was seen taking on Hazel, who punched Ren back into the wall. Hazel then launched an electrical charge from his lightning-Dust enhanced arm, electrocuting Ren, causing him to scream in pain before falling to the ground.

"REN!" Nora yelled.

"Go! I've got her!" Jaune said.

I activated my semblance, even though it was cracked and charged at Hazel alongside Nora. Qrow was knocked back into the wall and then fell to the ground next to the downed Ren, who struggled to get back up as well. Hazel almost attacked again when Satoshi's Grimm form attacked Hazel again, clawing his back before biting his leg and jumping back before Hazel could hit him. Oscar used his cane to block flaming rocks being fired from Leo's weapon. Hazel saw Oscar and charged forward and punched Oscar several feet back.

"Hiding behind the face of a child? A monster like you must be stopped!" Hazel said.

Nora charged at Hazel with a loud battle cry. She leapt into the air, but Hazel caught Magnhild and slammed Nora into the ground. Sydney ran up and shot at him while I ran up with my sword and jammed it in Hazel's back. He grabbed the blade and flung me back before pulling it out and using it to deflect Sydney's bullets. He threw the sword at her, but she dodged it in time. Hazel then grabbed Nora's head, electrocuting her with his lightning Dust-enhanced arms, causing her to scream out in pain.

"How many more children must die for you?!" Hazel asked.

Suddenly, Nora grabbed Hazel's wrist.

"Huh?" Hazel asked as Nora, inadvertently enhanced by Hazel's electricity, stood back up and flipped him over her shoulder. He rolled back several feet away as Nora then held Magnhild up defensively, before Ozpin got our attention.

"His Semblance… he can block out pain. It's how he is able to handle injecting so much Dust into his body." Ozpin said.

We stared back at Hazel, who stands back up.

"I don't need him to hurt…" Nora said.

Hazel screamed and charged forward again.

"I just need him to GO DOWN!" Nora yelled as she then swung her hammer right into Hazel's chest, her counterattack launching him through the wall and outside onto Haven Academy's quad. Adam Taurus and White Fang soldiers look on.

 **Pov change: Hazel**

"What's going on in there?" A solider asked.

"None of your concern…" I said as I got back up.

I then took out a pair of red Dust crystals and stabbed them into my arms. I let out another roar.

"Stay focused! Our friends are almost done here." Adam said.

"ADAM!" We heard.

We all look up and see someone standing proudly on top of the roof of a nearby building.

"Blake?" Adam asked.

"Who is that?" I asked.

"Stand down!" Blake yelled.

The White Fang soldiers aimed their firearms at her.

"Wait! To think that I went through so much trouble to find you, only to have you deliver yourself to me." Adam laughed.

"This isn't what's right for the Faunus! Stop what you're doing and we can end this peacefully." Blake said.

"You're wrong, Blake, and you can't stop us." Adam said.

"No, I can't. Not by myself." Blake said.

"That's why she didn't come alone!" We heard.

We turned to the left in surprise, seeing a monkey Faunus standing in front of a massive legion of Faunus all armed with blunt weaponry, their shields bearing the old White Fang symbol.

"What?!" Adam asked.

"Who's there?" One of the soldiers asked.

We then turn3d to the right, and saw the old white fang leader leading another massive legion of Faunus.

"Your brothers and sisters." He said.

"Make no mistake, brothers! These are our enemies! And we will not let them ruin-"

Suddenly, Adam was interrupted when a Mistral airship shines its searchlight down on Adam and his group. The Mistral police captain is seen on the airship with a woman.

"Adam Taurus, this is the Mistral Police Force's captain, Shane Orbeck! Lower your weapons and surrender peacefully." The captain said.

More Mistral airships arrived.

"How?! How did you do this?!" Adam asked.

"Adam, it's over." Blake said.

Adam looked around as the crowds of Menagerie Faunus got closer to us. He then pulled out a detonator.

"Then it's over for all of us." Adam said.

Adam pressed the button, but nothing happened.

"Huh?" Adam asked.

He pressed the detonator button a few more times, nothing happened.

"What are you doing? Trying to get us all killed?!" A soldier asked.

Suddenly, Adam grabbed his collar.

"I am making humanity pay for WHAT THEY'VE DONE!" Adam let go and pushed the White Fang soldier back when Blake spoke.

"We sent someone over to confirm your explosives, and once we did, she disarmed them." Blake said.

A chameleon Faunus walked out from around the tower, dropping her black camouflage as she held the wires in her hand that disabled the bombs. Adam seethed, realizing that the situation is no longer in his favor.

"What do we do?!" Adam asked me.

"This… is your business. Not mine. Fix it." I said.

Adam glared back at me before turning to Blake.

"I told you, Adam. It's over..." Blake said.

Adam, not having any of it, yelled out in frustration and charged forward toward Blake. He took out his sword from his sheath to slash at her, but Blake used a decoy to get out of the way and she knocked him down by balling her fists together and hitting his back. Adam fell to the ground on his knees, before yelling out to his followers.

"KILL THEM!" He yelled.

I observed the battle take place and the situation in front of myself, but was then suddenly impaled by a white, glowing stinger. I was then pulled back inside the building and sat up to see that the Schnee was back on her feet with a summoned Queen Lancer flying above her. I started to get up when I saw the Grimm boy land in front of me and roar again.

 **Pov change: Yang**

As they both prepared to fight again, Weiss gasped as she noticed someone entering the building. Ruby, Ryuki and I looked back as well and gasped when we saw Blake, her eyes widening as she sees all of her teammates in the same place.

"Yang?" Blake asked.

She looked at Satoshi.

"So it is true. He's back." Blake said.

I stared at her in disbelief, before Ruby snapped her out of her trance.

"Yang! Go!" Ruby said, Ryuki pointing at the statue.

I ran forward. Emerald and Mercury tried to stop me.

"No!" Emerald said.

Emerald tried to stop me, but Sydney appeared and kicked her away and made Emerald fall to the ground. Mercury grabbed my prosthetic arm. My eyes briefly turned red before turning back to normal. I detached my arm and continued forward, causing Mercury to lose his balance for a bit. I jumps down the hole leading to the vault.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

Emerald and Mercury attempted to give chase, but they were stopped by an ice wall and ice arrows that suddenly appeared in front of them. They turned around and see Weiss and I our weapons and summons as we prepared to fight the both of them. Ruby then turned back around to look at Blake, and both nod at each other as the Blake went back outside to join the battle.

 **Pov change: Hazel**

I saw the Grimm boy slam his fists down onto the ground before beating his chest and roaring at me. A primitive way of declaring a fight.

"Come on." I said.

He jumped into the air and towards me before our fight began.

Everyone can see the fight between Cinder and Raven since it's actually canon. I'm so exhausted, I have been up every day until two in the morning, either doing finals or playing games. Luckily, I am done with school.


	64. Chapter 64

**Pov: Ryuki**

Inside the Great Hall, Hazel launched fireballs from his fists with his fire-Dust enhanced arms at Weiss's summoned Queen Lancer before he jumped out of the way from Satoshi slamming his claws onto the ground. The Lancer dodged out of the way of the blasts. Satoshi and Hazel closed hands and fought for ground. The ground cracked as Satoshi growled loudly before jumping up and kicking Hazel back. Meanwhile, the remaining members of Team JNPR fended themselves from Mercury and Emerald's shots. Tatsumi ran at Emerald but hit an illusion.

"You guys okay?" Jaune asked.

Ren coughed while Nora groaned in exhaustion.

"Surviving…" Ren said.

"I don't know how that big guy is still standing. He recharges his Aura faster than I've ever seen!" Nora said.

"He's like a living tank." Sydney said.

Oscar and I watched Qrow fly in with his bird form, before transforming back into his usual self.

"He's sheer willpower." Qrow said.

Oscar took cover behind a nearby column.

"We just need to get him to his limit!" Ozpin said.

The Queen Lancer was firing projectiles at Leo, who defended himself with his weapon. He then knocked the summon away with a flame torrent coming from his weapon. Hazel used the opportunity to launch a combined fire and lightning attack which caused the Lancer to dissipate. Weiss stared in shock as her summon disappeared. Suddenly, Blake jumped in and kicked Hazel to the ground before jumping next to Weiss and Ruby.

"Are you hurt?" Blake asked.

I shook my head.

"N-No! I just remembered you being more of the quiet one." Weiss said.

I nodded in agreement.

Hazel, Emerald, and Mercury slowly advanced towards the four of us.

"Not today." Blake said as she drew her weapon. Suddenly, Satoshi landed next to us and roared loudly.

"I see Satoshi isn't dead." Blake said.

"It's a long story." Ruby said as she held up her scythe.

"Alright. Well, what's the plan, Ruby?" Weiss asked.

Ruby looked at me and we nodded. Lionheart tried to launch an attack on her, but I shot his weapon and Ruby shot at his shoulder. Lionheart ran out of the room through the doors behind him in fear.

"You've gotta be kidding me…" Mercury said.

Hazel let out a fearsome roar, while we watched him.

"Satoshi!" Ruby said.

He looked at us.

"Let him have it." Ruby said.

Satoshi beat his chest proudly before releasing a just as fearsome roar before attacking Hazel. Ruby then called out their team attack.

"Checkmate!" Ruby said.

Blake and Weiss ran forward, followed closely behind by their leader.

"Let's show them what team STRS can do." Tatsumi said.

"What do we do?" Sydney asked.

'We improvise.' I said before pulling out my bow and transforming it into the bladed staff.

 **Pov change: Yang**

"I warned you, Yang. I gave you every opportunity to walk away from Qrow and Oz. So you can believe me when I say this wasn't personal." Mom said.

"You opened the vault." I said.

"Thanks to the chaos you and your friends caused upstairs. I knew you could handle it. You're my daughter after all." Mom said.

"Qrow and Oz told me how the Maiden powers are transferred. The girl you found… she would've had to have trusted you if you were in her final thoughts - cared about you a lot." I said.

"I'm sure they told you plenty, and you just sat and obeyed." Mom said.

"No, I'm starting to ask questions like you said. So tell me... what happened to the last Spring Maiden? Did she die in battle? Was it sickness?" I asked.

"What does it matter to you?" Mom asked.

"I can already see the answer. It's all over your face. How could you?!" I asked.

"She was scared when we found her! Weak. No matter how much training I put her through, she never learned! She wasn't cut out for this world! And with those powers, she would've been hunted her entire life! What I did-"

"'Wasn't personal.'" I said.

"It was mercy!" Mom said.

"Which is it, mom? Are you merciful, or are you a survivor? Did you let me walk into that trap because you knew I could handle it, or because it meant you could get what you wanted?!" I asked.

"It's not that simple. You don't know me, you don't know what I've been through, the choices I've had to make!" Mom said.

"You're right. I don't know you. I only know the Raven dad told me about. She was troubled, and complicated, but she fought for what she believed in, whether it was her team or her tribe! Did you kill her too?"

"I've stared death in the face over and over again! And every time I've spat in that face and survived, because I'm strong enough to do what others won't!" Mom said.

"Oh, shut up! You don't know the first thing about strength! You turn your back on people, you run away when things get too hard, you put others in harm's way instead of yourself! You might be powerful, but that doesn't make you strong." I said.

"Who do you think you are lecturing me?! Standing there, shaking like a scared little girl?!" Mom asked.

"Yeah, I'm scared. But I'm still standing here! I'm not like you, I won't run, I won't leave the one I love, which is why you're going to give me the Relic." I said.

"And why would I-"

"Because you're afraid of Salem! And if you thought having Maiden powers put a target on your back, imagine what she'll do when she finds out you have a Relic. She'll come after you with everything she has. Or she can come after me. And I'll be standing there, waiting for her. Even if it's just Satoshi and I or myself, I will be there."

"You don't want to do this, Yang." Mom said.

"Nope. But I'm gonna do it anyway." I said.

I walked forward, bumping my mother out of the way as I passed her.

"I… I'm sorry…" Mom said.

Tears well up in my eyes.

"Yeah… Me too." I said.

I then heard the sound of one of mom's portals as well as the sound of flapping wings from behind me. I looked behind myself and saw a black feather fall gently to the ground. I then proceeded forward and entered the Relic chamber. I approached the Relic of Knowledge - an ornate, gold and cyan lamp - as it rested on the stone pedestal. I grabbed the Relic by its handle, and small, indistinct whispers were heard. As I grabbed it, I had a small vision of something. It was Satoshi and Ryuki. They were in a place where the sky was red and their hands were on a ball and as they had their hands on it, they screamed in agony before disappearing. Tears then streamed from my eyes, before I fell to my knees as I broke down crying.

 **Pov change: Leo**

I burst into my office and ran behind my desk, frantically opening drawers trying to look for something. Suddenly, I heard ominous clicking noises, and looked up to notice the Seer floating menacingly in front of my desk.

'And where might you be going?' Salem asked.

"Uh, your grace! I was just looking for something." I said.

'Leonardo, do you have something you wish to tell me?'

"…It was Cinder! She altered the plan! Huntsmen showed up here! Qrow! Eleven students, one with the Silver Eyes, and the twins! The White Fang attacked, it was stopped! I don't know that they'll be able to recover the Relic… Your grace, I can still be of assistance! If I leave now, I-I can avoid the authorities and come find you, I'll do whatever it takes! Your grace?" I asked.

Out of options, I aimed my weapon at the Seer, but it used one of its tentacles to knock it off my wrist. I tried to run, but the Seer wrapped one of its tentacles around my ankle, causing me to trip and fall.

"Please, ma'am! I'll do anything! I can still be useful!" I begged.

It wrapped around me more before dragging me back.

"Please! PLEEEAAASE!" I yelled.

Despite my pleas, it impaled me.

"Please…" I begged before it all went dark.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

Oscar was defending an exhausted Qrow while Ruby and her teammates held off their opponents, who are all exhausted as well. Satoshi jumped up and slammed Hazel to the ground before throwing him back at Mercury who dodged, but was kicked back by Tatsumi.

"That's enough! Just give up." Ruby said.

Mercury snarled and yelled in frustration, slamming his fist into the ground.

"It's not over! Cinder will come back, she'll have the Relic, and she'll stop all of you! She won't let us down." Emerald said.

The platform leading to the vault was heard coming back up. Everyone stared as Yang came back up with the Relic of Knowledge in her hand. Emerald looked in surprise as Cinder didn't come back up. All of us looked up to her and smiled.

"Yang…" Ruby said.

Hazel seethed while tears stream from Emerald's eyes. Yang smiled back down to us. Emerald fell to her knees and began to sob. Mercury and Hazel slowly backed away.

"Emerald, get up, we need to go." Mercury said.

Emerald shook her head and remained stationary.

"Emerald!" Mercury said.

Emerald looked around as her breathing got frantic. She held her head and let out a loud scream, activating her Semblance. Suddenly, the room turned dark as black smoke rose from the ground nearby. From it, a giant effigy of a woman, limbs bent and deformed, towered above everyone in the room. The giant woman opened her eyes, and let out an ear-piercing scream as it swooped down over us. After what was the scariest thing I've ever seen, everything returned to normal, we all shook in fear as we same to terms with what we had just witnessed. Satoshi just looked around, confused. Everyone in the room was still present, with the exception of the enemy, who ran.

"Wha-what was that?" Blake said.

"That was a freaking nightmare." Tatsumi said.

"An illusion. But an accurate one. That… was Salem." Ozpin said.

Satoshi groaned and stumbled before falling.

"Satoshi!" We all said, with the exception of me.

We ran up and saw the pile of black ooze move and Satoshi wipe his face clean.

"That… was fun…" he groaned.

"A cloak please." Tatsumi said.

 **Pov change: Blake**

"Finally you showed up." Sydney said.

"I swear to god Sydney, I- I missed you." I said.

"Who are you and what have you done with Blake?" Sydney asked.

I sighed in relief now that the battle was over, before I heard the sounds of my parents and Sun run into the great hall. We shared a hug together while Sun looked on.

"The police rounded up the remaining White Fang members. Haven is safe." Mom said.

"Unfortunately, it appears that Adam escaped. But captain Orbeck said that they are issuing a bounty for him. He won't be safe in Haven." Dad said.

"Besides, it's still okay. He was the only one to escape tonight. Those in the White Fang that followed him? Won't support a leader that abandons his people. He won't have their help after this. He'll have no one at all. And the White Fang will be left divided." Ilia said.

"We've been fighting amongst ourselves for too long. Perhaps it's time for a new brotherhood. A new family for Faunus truly working towards a better world." Dad said.

"And they'll need a new leader." Mom said.

Dad nodded in acknowledgement. Sun suddenly wrapped his tail around me to turn me around and have me see my old friends too. I slowly walked towards them nervously while Sun and my parents smile. Yang walked down the stairs and handed the Relic to her uncle.

 **Pov change: Yang**

"What happened?" Qrow asked.

"I don't know exactly. When I got down there, Cinder was gone, and Vernal was dead." I said.

"And Raven?" Qrow asked.

"Gone." I said.

"Well, we're all glad you're still here, firecracker." Qrow said.

I walked over to Satoshi.

"How are you?" I asked.

"…tired. I can feel my body wanting to pass out." Satoshi said.

"Just get some rest." I said.

Suddenly, Ruby groaned and fell to her knees. Weiss caught her.

"Are you okay?" Weiss asked.

"*sigh* I feel like I should be asking you guys. Satoshi most of all." Ruby said. "You know Ryuki… I think we should have a date night." She started feeling exhausted by now.

We all chuckled.

We watched as Blake walked up to us.

"So Blake, what're you doing here?" Ruby asked.

"I… I was gonna ask you three the same thing." Blake said.

Ruby, Weiss, and I, shared glances with each other.

"That's… a looooong story." Ruby said.

"Well… I'm not going anywhere." Blake said.

'Pull up a chair then.' Ryuki said.

"That's all that matters. That we're all here together. Right?" Ruby placed her hand on Ryuki's.

Ruby looks to me as she said that.

"Yeah." I said.

Blake looked at us and smiled. Weiss offered a hand out to Blake, and she eagerly joined in to Team RWBY's first group hug after a long time of being apart. The four girls embraced each other while their friends look on smiling.

 **Pov change: qrow**

Myself, still holding the Relic, approached a panting Oscar, who was kneeling on the ground.

"I don't know how, but we did it, Oz. You okay?" I asked.

"I'm alright." Oscar said.

"Kid?" I asked.

"He's resting. Too much energy fighting." He said.

"Hey, wizard, don't strain yourself!" I said.

"No! He had… a message… We must… get the lamp to… Atlas." Oscar said as he groaned and fell, but I caught him. I then stood back up, and looked to the Relic I held in my hand. The lamp began to glow brightly as the indistinct whispers were heard. I sighed, knowing what that meant.

 **End of volume 5, time to work on chibi stuff until volume 6 I guess.**


	65. RWBY Chibi season 1 volume 1

In a simple kitchen with stacked dishes next to the sink, a paper towel roll, a vase full of yellow flowers, and a large window showing beautiful blue skies dotted with fluffy clouds, the view zooms in briefly on the table containing a red bowl, a bag of flour, some eggs, and a package of "Choco Chippies". Before long, Ruby and Ryuki leapt up from behind the counter. Ryuki held up a sign.

'Ruby do you even know how to cook?'

Ruby rubbed her hands in excitement as she glanced at the ingredients happily.

"Of course I do Ryuki." Ruby said.

Ruby started her culinary quest by tapping one of the eggs on the side of the bowl, but the shell didn't crack. Ruby looked perplexed for a moment, then tried rapidly hitting the egg with the same lack of results. Ryuki held up a sign.

'How weak are you?' I asked.

Scowling at Ryuki, Ruby finally jumped up, screaming in rage, before throwing the egg into the bowl, where it finally split open in a burst of white pieces and some orange yolk landing on her cheek, which she silently glowers at.

"You try it." Ruby said.

Ryuki walked up, grabbed an egg, and easily cracked it opened. Ryuki looked at Ruby with a smirk.

"Shut up." Ruby said.

Ruby then attempted to gently pour some of the flour into her bowl, but when none came out, she got up on the table itself and tipped the whole bag over it upside-down. Giving it a cautious shake, the flour burst from the bag like a hose, causing Ruby to scream and the camera to be obscured in powder before the dust cleared to reveal piles of white around the kitchen and a pasty-faced Ruby with dizzy eyes. The bag was floating in the air as Ryuki was seen with white flour, keeping it steady before setting it down.

 **Later**

The scene shows an opened package of chocolate chips sitting alone next to the bowl until Ruby's fingers grabbed it from underneath and she popped up, picking one solitary sweet out of the container and chomping down on it, only to pause with her hand in her mouth as she tastes it.

'Ruby, you really shouldn't-' Ryuki stopped when Ruby stared at her with her dog eyes.

'Okay, one more.' Ryuki said.

Her eyes dart from the screen to the bag, back and forth until she grinned and started digging in to the chocolate treats, grabbing handful after handful into her open mouth from behind the table, in front of it, and even outside the window. Ryuki stood there watching. Ryuki looked at the camera and held a sign.

'What have I done?'

The next step shows Ruby going over to the bowl with the stirrer already in, and she attempted to move it only to find the spoon was stuck. She attempted to move it towards her with both hands while grunting, pulling on it from the tabletop with her feet planted on the bowl until she's launched back, pushing at it with all her might before pitching herself over the bowl, and finally jumping right onto the handle, all to no effect. She falls to the floor and looks up at the stubborn kitchen utensil with narrowed eyes.

With the spoon still in the bowl, Ruby is seen laying in the sink and tossing dozens of chips into her mouth from the bag with each shake, the pile of chocolate down her throat growing bigger and bigger until she decides to just dump the whole bag down, sending her into a frozen state with eyes widened and her foot twitching sporadically. Ryuki ran up and used her semblance to remove the bag from Ruby's hands.

Finally, a lone glass of milk sat on the table, and Ruby looked up at it from the floor until she jumps up with a big smile to shove her newly-baked cookie, tat Ryuki made, in... only for the treat to not fit in the tiny glass rim. She tries her best to jam it in, but no matter how hard she hit it, her hard-earned delicacy doesn't touch the drink, causing her to moan in despair and collapse back on the ground. A second passes, and then the entire glass fell over and almost crashed on a surprised Ruby. The glass was lifted up by Ryuki once more.

The scene opened to the picture of a donkey nailed to the wall with a target marked where its tail should be. Amid the flurry of voices in the background, a sudden whooshing noise was heard as a blindfolded Weiss was launched from off-screen, landing with Myrtenaster like a dart embedding the donkey's tail... at its feet.

"Missed!" Ruby said.

"Drat!" Weiss said as she dropped down.

"Our turn." Someone said offscreen.

"Huh? Hey let me go you stupid little-"

Suddenly, Sydney was seen hitting the wall.

"Hit." Blake said offscreen.

"I hate cats." Sydney said.

The next shot shows the dorm room of RWBY from the angle of Blake Belladonna's bed as Ruby and Ryuki walked down the hallway until Ruby looked into the room.

"Huh, no one's here. Eh, I guess we can go check the court... yard..." Ruby said.

'What?' Ryuki held up a sign.

Before they left, Ruby's gaze fell on the book half-hidden under Blake's pillow, with the title "Ninjas of Love" on its spine. Ruby fully stepped inside the room and zooming over to her teammate's bedside, a look of wonder on her face as she sneakily glanced around making sure the coast is clear. Ryuki pulled out a sign.

'I have a bad feeling about this.'

Ruby shrugged Ryuki off and took it out and examined it herself. She stared at the cover picture of a man and woman dressed in black, armed with blades and looking deeply into each other's eyes under a tagline reading "No shadows can conceal the lust of one enigma for long...", until she turned it around to read the description. Ryuki saw what it said and her eyes widened.

"Ninjas, huh?" Ruby asked.

Ruby and Ryuki were flipping through the pages of the new discovery, eyes widened and absorbing information with emotions ranging from amazed marvel, intense concentration, gasping shock, guilty pleasure, shuddering glee, and topping it all off with Ruby skipping ahead a few pages until she turned the book sideways and a picture unfolds downward for a full body shot.

"Now that's a katana!" Ruby said.

Ryuki nodded.

 **Elsewhere**

Weiss was seen in the Beacon Academy courtyard raising her weapon threateningly at Yang with a snarl, and the blonde in turn raised her arms with a smirk. They got into their battle-ready stances before coming at one another, Weiss swiping her blade at a ducking Yang, whose hair curl pops back up once the attack is safely over.

Noticing the near-blow to her locks, Yang attempted a punch on Weiss, who blocked it with a small glyph before swinging her sword down onto one of her opponent's gauntlets. Yang used this opportunity to smack the blade away from its wielder and leave her open to a leap in the air followed by a blast from her weapons... only for the shot to never fire and result in only a "click" noise.

Yang landed back on the ground and kept trying to punch her weapons into shooting, and Weiss stopped flinching from what she thought was an oncoming blow to look just as puzzled at Yang. She smiled and laughed to herself, raising her hands to her face with tongue stuck out mockingly at the brawler until Yang realized the obvious solution and simply punched Weiss with her fist, knocking the heiress out of the screen and letting Yang strike a victorious stance. Yang sighed and turned to see Satoshi sleeping on a tree.

Yang looked at the camera and winked before taking off her gauntlet and throwing it at Satoshi. It hit Satoshi, making him fly up and activate his Grimm claws and look around before seeing Yang. He sighed and deactivated his claws before lying back down. Yang was laughing hard as the scene ended.

 **Elsewhere**

Blake was seen at her bed looking frantically for a certain something. When she could not find it, she gave a worried look to the audience before scrambling through her bookshelf.

"Where is it?!" Blake said as she got up and turned left with an embarrassed face to Ruby and Ryuki standing there with "Ninjas of Love" in Ruby's arm and growling grimaces, hesitantly pointing at the novel.

"Ruby, is that my book?" Blake asked.

'You should be ashamed.' Ryuki held a sign.

"This is filth! Fiiiilth!" Ruby yelled, pointing at the book/

With a sudden twirl, Ruby smacked Blake across the floor into her bed using her own sordid literature before marching away to the other side of the room. Ryuki shook her head before walking away as well.

"Can... Can I have my book back?" Blake asked.

"Later!" Ruby said.


	66. Chapter 66 RWBY chibi volume 1 episode 2

After the opening, Team RWBY and half of team STRS were sitting on the couch, watching the news.

'Reports of a cat burglar being on the prowl in Vale have flooded the police department this week. Whether these claims are legitimate or merely a yarn, citizens are encouraged to stay indoors.' All of them, excluding Blake, gasped and were wide eyed.

Silently, Yang picked up the remote to silence the television, and the six shocked people slowly turned their heads towards a seemingly-disinterested Blake. When she noticed their gaze, she turned to see if there's something behind her of interest, then went back to them.

"Seriously, guys? Seriously? You're gonna call me a cat burglar just because I'm part cat? That's real mature. You know, I have half a mind to report you guys to Glynda. What you're doing is profiling. You all disgust me!" Blake said as they saw her walk away, grabbing many random objects.

Team RWBY and the twins looked at each other for a moment, trying to make sense of what happened as Weiss shrugged, right before Blake zoomed through the room, bow off to expose her Faunus cat ears, and jumped on top of the couch with a quick "Nya!" to steal the remote. After she grabbed it, she looked at the twins and picked Ryuki up and held her like a suitcase while she scampered away before they can do anything more than scream in surprise as a motorcycle's engine was heard revving offscreen, with Lisa's report somehow unmuted for the people to watch.

'Breaking news! Police have engaged the alleged cat burglar in a high-speed chase. The suspect is fleeing on a yellow motorcycle with what appears to be a cartoonishly large amount of stolen goods falling from the bike, and it appears that she has a hostage on the back of her bike as well. What will they think of next? Back to you, Cyril!' Lisa said.

 **Later**

Weiss is seen gracefully gliding across a sheet of ice in what looks like an outside skating rink. She slides to the left on her bladed shoes, goes back around with an elegant twirl, and keeps spinning happily around wearing a cheerful expression as the camera pans out to reveal an annoyed Yang, Blake, Ruby, and Ryuki trapped up to their waists in a large circular block of ice, with Weiss' blade left in the spot where it froze the water. Weiss finishes her rotations in the center and gives a curtsy to her imaginary audience.

"Soooo, this is the last time we invite her to the pool, right?" Yang asked.

"Yyyyup." Everyone replied, excluding Weiss and Ryuki, who held a sign that said 'yes'.

In response, Weiss' smile turns mischievous, making a pleased noise to herself while looking at her cross-armed friends.

 **Later**

Blake is seen near the Beacon Academy front steps, unsheathing the blade from her Gambol Shroud and raising it high before launching it in pistol form at Yang's back. Her partner turns just in time to catch it in her hand, and Ruby inspects the ribbon between them closely, then leaps high into the air... only to come down and jump up again before the smiling girls' makeshift jump rope completes its arcs.

"Jaune be nimble, Jaune be quick, Jaune fell over the candlestick!" Ruby said.

The screen cut to jaune who was in crutches next to Satoshi.

"Blake be nimble, Blake be quick, Blake needs to learn to PICK UP AFTER HERSELF WHEN SHE'S DONE READING!" Jaune yelled.

 **Later**

Blake is seen standing in RWBY's dorm room, arms crossed with a neutral expression, as her blonde partner marched up to the Faunus with a big grin on her face and something behind her back.

"Blake... I got you something." Yang snickered as she handed her a ball of blue yarn.

"Really? Do you expect me to roll around the floor and play with it?" Blake asked.

As she says this, a rushing noise is heard with a high-pitched "Aaawww, yeeeaaah!" until Ruby bursts into the scene, grabbing the yarn from Yang's hand and crashing behind a surprised Blake. The ball rolls into view briefly before Ruby's on it again, continuing to collide with the walls until she slides to the middle of the floor on her back with the yarn bouncing among her wiggling limbs.

"THIS IS THE BEST!" Ruby said as she curler up with her new toy, shaking with energy, as Blake and Yang share a perturbed look at each other. Suddenly, the ball went into the air and the screen shows Ryuki lifting it up using her semblance. Ruby tried to grab it but couldn't reach it, making her sit with wide sad eyes.

The dorm room of Team RWBY gets visited by Zwei the corgi, sniffing the ground as he walks through the open doorway. He looks up and runs with his stubby legs closer to the camera, sitting down on his butt and smelling the air again until he barks and gets up, now looking at another corner of the room. His tail wagging eagerly, he bounds over to where he's looking and growls at what appears to be nothing until a familiar voice reaches his ears.

"Zwei!" Yang said outside of the room.

The dog gave a quick "Woof!" of acknowledgement and ran out of the room to his owner... not seeing the cat-eared Blake inexplicably peek out from behind a tall and slender reading light. She sighed in relief upon seeing the menace is truly gone when Sydney appeared in front of her, barking. Blake made a small scream, eyes widened, before fainting.

"Point for Sydney." Sydney looked at the camera before turning invisible again.


	67. Chapter 67 Chibi volume 1 episode 3

A ringtone was heard playing, with the screen shrouded in darkness. After some notes are played, a voicemail message tone sounds, and the screen shows Jaune talking into his Scroll with Tatsumi behind him.

"Alright go." Tatsumi said.

"Hey, um, Weiss... Schnee! This is Jaune... Arc, of the Arc family - last name's Arc." Jaune said.

"You're losing it."

"Anyways, I was wondering what are you doing Saturday night? I'm doing... nothing, uh, which means I could be doing something with you! Yeah!"

The pebble underneath Jaune's foot was sent rolling away...

"Whoa!"

...causing Jaune to flip backwards, landing on his head, with his Scroll landing beside him. Jaune looks to it in a daze.

"...call me." Tatsumi facepalmed.

 **Later**

Ruby, Ryuki, and Weiss, the first armed with Crescent Rose, the second with her bow, and the third with magazines for Ruby's weapon, stood on campus.

"Ice!" Ruby said.

Weiss handed Ruby a clip decorated with a snowflake. Ryuki pulled out an ice arrow. They loaded their weapons. They fired the weapon, and a blast of ice discharges from the barrel.

"Fire!"

Weiss handed Ruby another clip as Ryuki got another arrow. The two loaded it, and fired again, this time causing plumes of fire to appear.

"Gravity!" Ruby said.

Ryuki looked at Ruby, confused. She held up a sign.

'Ruby that won't work.'

Weiss handed Ruby a third clip, this one decorated with four arrows pointing inwards. Ruby inserted the magazine, and fired. A flash of darkness emerged from the muzzle, but this time, Ruby was blasted backwards and offscreen. Weiss watched her go, before slapping her palm against her face.

"You wanna go after her?" Weiss asked.

'It's always me.' Ryuki said.

 **Later**

Once again, Jaune was in the courtyard, pacing back and forth as he left another message for Weiss. Tatsumi was bored next to him.

"Try again." Tatsumi said.

"Hey Weiss. Um, I'm guessing you didn't get my call earlier. Maybe the tower's messing up or something. I mean, there's no way you wouldn't get my message and not call me back. Right? I mean, that's... that'd be rude. That's ridiculous. You're definitely not, y'know, playing these messages to the rest of Team RWBY, and laughing... heheh, laughing. It's, uh, it's not you. You wouldn't do that, you wouldn't- you wouldn't do that. Right? That's crazy."

Suddenly Sydney appeared next to Tatsumi.

"What're you idiots doing?" She asked.

"I'm trying to help this idiot get a chance with Weiss."

"How sad." Sydney said.

 **Later**

Blake is standing nonchalantly in the courtyard, as Yang leaps up behind her.

"Tag, you're it!"

Unfortunately for Yang, Blake phases out of existence, having used her Semblance to dodge the surprise attack. Yang spins around, and leaps for her again.

"You're it!"

Once again, Blake dodges the attack. Yang leaps for her again.

"You're it!" Yang said again

Despite Yang's efforts, Blake continues to phase away from her.

"YOU'RE IT!" Yang said, getting angry.

With a chuckle, Blake continues to dodge her teammate's attempts to tag her, much to Yang's chagrin.

"IT, IT, IT! BLAKE! YOU! ARE! IT!" Yang said.

Suddenly Satoshi walked up.

"Hey Yang." He said.

"Satoshi! Blake's being mean." Yang ran over to him to hug him.

However, as she made contact, Satoshi phased out as well.

"BLAKE THAT IS NOT FUNNY!" Yang said loudly.

 **Later**

Tatsumi and Sydney were watching jaune as he tried again. Sydney held a bowl of popcorn.

"ALRIGHT, ICE QUEEN, I'VE HAD IT UP TO HERE! It's one thing to deny a guy, but it is another thing to ignore him entirely! If you were here right now, I would give you A PIECE OF MY MI-!"

As if on cue, Weiss strolled in behind Jaune.

"Hi, Jaune!"

Jaune paused, before turning to face Weiss, hiding his Scroll behind his back.

"Hey! Weiss, what's uh, what's going on?" Jaune asked.

"Not much, I'm just looking for my Scroll. I can't remember where I put it!" Weiss said.

"Oh." Jaune said.

"Weiss, I think I found your Scroll." Blake said.

Tatsumi and Sydney were waiting for what happened next.

Jaune dashed over to the new arrival, snatched the Scroll out of her hands, and began to stomp on it repeatedly, finally kicking it away, as Weiss and Blake look on bewilderedly. Sydney and Tatsumi were shocked as well.

"Right, I will see you later!" Jaune said.

Jaune slid away, as Blake looked to Weiss in confusion. Weiss merely hung her head in shock. Sydney offered popcorn to Tatsumi, who took some.

 **Later**

Zwei walked into the room, sniffing around for something. He looks up and tries to climb the garbage can, but falls backwards onto his bottom, before tilting to the side. He rolled over, and goes over to a couch, sticking his head under it, before yanking himself free with a yap. He walks off, still searching.

As Zwei leaves, the freezer door of the refrigerator tilts open, revealing a shivering Blake, with chattering teeth and blank white eyes, hiding from the canine.

"Seriously? That's just sad." Sydney said as she appeared and shut the freezer.


	68. Chapter 68 Chibi volume 1 episode 4

Ruby were Yang play a fighting game on their Scrolls while Ryuki was snoring in the background. Satoshi was leaning against the bed, lightly snoozing.

'Yellow wins!' The tv said.

"Yes! And that's how you do it!" Yang said.

Ruby sighed, while Yang stretched.

"Ah! Alright, we're all tied up, time to find out who the real winner is!" Yang said.

Ruby rolled her eyes, and made a "blah-blah" motion with her hand, while she mocked Yang as she spoke, culminating in sticking her tongue out at her.

"You know, when this is all over, maybe I can teach you a couple combos! Let you learn from the real master!" Yang said.

In the hallway, Zwei was dragging a catatonic Blake by her bow. Yang noticed this, and turned to the two.

"Zwei! What did I say!? Blake is not a chew toy!" Yang said.

"Oh let her." Sydney said as she walked by.

As Zwei barked in reply, Ruby took advantage of the distraction, and quickly slapped Yang's Scroll away, along with starting up a new game.

'Ready!'

Yang turned back to the game, only to discover that her Scroll was missing.

"Huh?" Yang asked.

Quickly realizing that Ruby was responsible, Yang's eyes turned red, and her hair spiked up as her Semblance was activated. Ryuki and Satoshi woke up, scared of the angry blonde.

"Uh-oh..." Ruby said.

 **Later**

Beacon was holding an ice sculpting contest, which Ruby has entered. Using a hammer and chisel, she chipped away at the ice block, making no noticable progress. She looks down the line to see Weiss twirl her weapon around, and use her Glyphs to transform her ice block into a crystalline Beowolf. Further down the line, Blake loaded her weapon with Ice dust, and posed with her weapon, before firing, and using her Semblance to create a perfect duplicate of herself out of ice. Ryuki and Satoshi used claws and arrows to make a statue. As Ruby watched these events, she threw down her tools in frustration, and began to march away, pouting.

"Look at me, I use Dust! I have a cool Semblance! Life is sooo easy, wah wah wah!" Ruby said.

 **Later**

In Team RWBY's dorm, Blake is standing there, while Yang grunted with effort, as she pushed a present into view.

"What's this? Another cat toy?"

"I felt bad about the other day, so I got ya a little something." Yang said.

"You didn't have to do that." Blake said.

Blake tore off the wrapping paper to reveal the contents of the present: a tea set.

"Yang, this is so sweet!"

Blake began to unpack the present, admiring the tea set.

"I hope you like it! I'm not sure it matches your style or not."

"It's perfect!"

"Hopefully it's big enough?"

"Yang, I love it." Blake said.

Having finished taking out her gift, Blake looked to the box, and jumped in, much like a cat would, before poking her head out of the box.

"Whew! Okay, I'm glad! I almost got you a ValePress, but then Satoshi helped me remember Weiss is more into coffee, and you're more into tea, so when I saw that tea set, I just knew I had to get it ... for you." Yang trailed off, having seen that Blake is more interested in the tea set's box. Blake slowly ducks back into the box, as Yang looks on, unamused.

 **Later**

As Yang played a fighting game on her Scroll, Weiss edges in and pokes her with a stick. Yang looks to her in irritation, before going back to her game. It isn't long before Ruby edges in from her other side, and pokes her with another stick. Getting angry, Yang growled at her sister, before trying to focus on her game. Blake drops in from above, and gives Yang a third poke. This is enough to send Yang over the edge, as her eyes turn red, and she is engulfed in flames.

"AAAARRGH!" Yang yelled.

While Yang panted, still aflame, Ruby, Weiss and Blake have all surrounded her, and are using Yang as a makeshift campfire to roast marshmallows.

Satoshi entered the room and saw this.

"Well that's an easy method." Satoshi said.


	69. Chapter 69 RWBY Chibi volume 1 episode 5

Team RWBY's dormitory kitchen is decorated with balloons and streamers, while Blake, Weiss, Yang, and Ruby stand chatting. However, the ubiquitous team have traded outfits: Ruby is wearing Weiss' outfit, and vice versa, while Blake and Yang have traded outfits, complete with a little black bow on Yang's head. Ryuki and Satoshi were there with switched outfits, but while Satoshi wore Ryuki's outfit, Ryuki had a beowolf costume on, holding a sign that said 'roar'.

"Great costume party, sis!" Yang said.

"Yeah! I think it turned out to be pretty good!" Ruby said.

"Ahem." Everyone heard.

The camera pans right to reveal a miffed Jaune, also donned in Weiss' outfit, complete with side ponytail, tapping his foot angrily.

"Well, one of us is gonna have to change." Jaune said.

Team RWBY exchange glances.

"Looking hot!" Nora said from nowhere.

"Jaune… I'm not gonna ask." Satoshi said.

 **Later**

Blake is sitting on her bed, with a cotton swab in her hands. She sticks one end into her ear and twists it, before pulling it out, moving it to her other hand, and cleaning her other ear. As she puts down the cotton swab, she looks up to her exposed cat ears. Taking another swab in her hand, she reaches up, and cleans out her second set of ears. When she finishes, she closes her eyes in contentment, and twitches her cat ears.

"I still don't understand why you have to do that." Sydney said as she appeared behind Blake.

Blake replied by pulling out a can labeled 'can of pennies' and shook it, making Sydney run off.

 **Later**

Ruby and Ryuki were in the middle of building a house of playing cards and only needed to place the last two cards for completion. As Ruby gingerly moved forward to complete her masterpiece, the door flew open, revealing an angry Weiss. The cards shook but luckily Ryuki stopped them.

"Ruby, did you take my notebook?" Weiss asked.

As Ruby eyed her partner nervously, Weiss looked around, to see a blue notebook lying on the desk nearby.

"Oh! Here it is! Never mind!"

Weiss leaves, while Ruby sighs in relief, grateful that her creation was able to stay standing, thanks to Ryuki. As the door squeaks shut, Weiss reappears, and slams it shut. Unfortunately, the impact causes the house of cards to collapse in a pile before Ryuki could stop it, as Ruby looks on, unamused.

The dormitory kitchen is shown to be sparkling clean, as Weiss wipes her brow, and smiles at her handiwork, broom in hand. But the moment is ruined, as Ruby stomps into view, leaving muddy footprints everywhere, stomping deliberately on the once-clean floor, as the two girls exchange annoyed glances. They lean in close, and growl at each other.

In Beacon's courtyard, Ruby throws a bone for Zwei to fetch. As the dog dashes away, Weiss' voice calls out...

"Ruby Rose!"

Ruby looks to Weiss, who stands before her. She points to her leader.

"I have tolerated your foolishness for too long!" Weiss said.

Ruby returns the gesture.

"The foolishness you've tolerated compares not to ... the -the foolishness in which you've fooled!" Ruby said.

A bubble with a surprised, wide-eyed Weiss appears beside Ruby's head. Weiss blinks twice in confusion.

"What?"

"Nothing! Let's fight!" Ruby said.

The two girls stare each other down, as Zwei blows past the pair like a tumbleweed, his impacts into the ground making squeaky toy noises. Ruby readies Crescent Rose, unfolding it into it's scythe mode, while Weiss draws Myrtenaster. The two girls leap at each other... and immediately throw away their weapons and engage in a slapping fight, eyes shut and grimacing as they swipe at each other.

The camera pans across the courtyard to show Ryuki.

'Why can't they fight the old fashioned way like us, Satoshi?' Ryuki asked.

Ryuki looks and sees Satoshi dead against a tree with an arrow in his heart.

'Oh that's probably why.'

 **Later**

Tatsumi was stretching as he was walking back to his room from the gym. However when he opened the door, he saw Sydney and Ryuki changing into their pajamas. They stopped midway and stared at him.

"Lookin good girls." He said.

The camera cuts to Satoshi who was walking with Yang.

"And he was like 'so you wanna go out some time?' And I was like-'

Yang was stopped when Tatsumi landed in front of the two, completely beaten up.

"Tatsumi was it intentional?" Satoshi asked.

"No…" Tatsumi groaned.

Yang and Satoshi looked at each other before continuing their walk.

"Cool… I'll just lay here…" Tatsumi said as they walked away.

 **Later**

Ruby, Ryuki, Weiss, Blake, Yang, and Satoshi walk down a Vale street. Ruby is telling her friends a story.

"So I said, 'Now that's a katana!'"

As Weiss, Blake, and Yang laugh, a silhouette person bumps into Ruby, causing the team to stop walking.

"Ooh. Sorry." The person said.

Having voiced his apology, the silhouette person continues walking.

"That's okay... so, anyways, where was I?" Ruby asked.

"Okay, hold on. Did that...? That guy didn't look right. Right? Like he was..." Yang said.

"Covered in shadows!" Mostly everyone said.

"Oh my gosh, thank you!"

"I thought I was the only one!" Weiss said.

"No, I see them everywhere!" Yang said.

"Well, I mean, most of them never talk to us." Blake said.

"I thought I was losing it." Satoshi said.

"It's weird, right?" Ruby asked.

"It is super weird." Yang said.

"And have you noticed that some of them kinda look like us?" Ruby asked.

The camera zooms down the street, revealing another silhouette person, this one a carbon copy of Ruby, but shaded entirely black. She hums a tune while looking around, before seeing the team, and waving at them, a smile growing on her face.

"Hi!" She said.

The camera zooms back to team RWBY.

"Super weird." Yang said.

Suddenly a paper was thrown at Ryuki, who caught it.

'Call me'

Ryuki looked up to see Ruby saw that and tried charging at the shadow but was held back by her team as the screen changed to credits.


	70. Chapter 70: Chibi volume 1 episode 6

In Team RWBY's dormitory, Weiss is seen vacuuming enthusiastically and humming to herself. After she leaves the scene a fearful Zwei and Blake come out of hiding.

"I know, right?" Blake asked zwei.

Sydney appeared next to zwei.

"Why does something like that exist?" Sydney asked.

 **Later**

Team RWBY is seen returning from class.

"Ugh, Oobleck is the worst!" Yang said.

"Yeah, but not as bad as Professor Peach." Blake said.

"I like her." Weiss said.

"Yeah, but she's not around very often." Ruby said.

After Ruby has entered the room, Yang shuts the door and Ruby's cape gets caught in scene transitions to Ruby reading a Camp Camp comic on top of her bed.

"Ruby! Time for class!" Yang said.

"Coming! Ah, crazy kids." Ruby said.

Ruby jumps down from her bed, but just as she is about to reach the ground her cape gets snagged an chokes her.

"Not like this, NOT LIKE THIS!" Ruby said.

The next scene shows Ruby and Ryuki, Ruby seeming over hyped about something.

"Do it! Do it!" Ruby said.

Ryuki rolled her eyes and used her semblance to lift Ruby into the sky.

"I'm flying! I'M FLY- agh!" Ruby's cape caught on a tree.

"Not again…" Ruby groaned.

At another scene Ruby is seen reading another comic as Jaune leaves muddy footprints on her cape.

"Ugh! Dude!" Ruby said.

 **Later**

Blake Belladonna is lying on her bed reading The Man with Two Souls. She finishes her book and looks at another book that is supporting the bunk beds which is titled: The Man with Two Souls 2, The Man with Four Souls. She tries to find a substitute for the book which is supporting the bed. Her first choices are a thick book, one of the two gauntlets Ember Celica and Zwei. She then finally settles on The Man with Two Souls However Ruby is revealed to have been in the room the entire time.

"Hey Blake! Can I borrow that book you're reading?" Ruby asked.

Blake falls over in despair.

 **Later**

"And I said, 'Bumblebee? More like-'" Yang began.

"Hey guys! Check out who we found!" Jaune said.

"Hello again!" Pyrrha said

"You're okay!? How are you even here!?" Ruby asked.

"I mean I'm here." Satoshi said.

"What do you even mean?" Pyrrha asked.

"I mean, I watched you di-" Ruby began.

"Nope! Never happened!" Nora said.

"But-"

"NOPE! Everything's fine! PYRRHA IS FINE! Nothing bad... ever... happened! EVER." Nora looked at the camera.

"So, you guys wanna keep doing comedy segments?" Ren asked.

"That sounds lovely!" Pyrrha said.


	71. Chapter 71

Team JNPR are gathered outside the dorm rooms, about to go to practice, when Jaune compares all their weapons, finding his own lackluster as it's just a plain sword.

"Time for Practice!" Nora said.

Jaune hesitated, feeling like his weapon wasn't as impressive

"Uh, you guys go ahead. I'm gonna grab something from the room."

As the team leave, Jaune snuck into team RWBY's room. Upon noticing their weapons left laying around, he gasps in awe before thinking up a devilish idea.

"I mean, it's not like they're using them..." Jaune said.

Behind him, Sydney appeared, holding in her laughter with a video camera beginning to record.

Later

A bucket of water is seen above team RWBY's room door, Weiss walking in and getting soaked, much to her annoyance. The rest of team RWBY and the twins pop out, laughing in amusement.

"Got her!" Yang said.

"Ice water for the Ice Queen!" Ruby and Ryuki high five.

THE NEXT DAY

The same bucket above the door, only with all but Weiss about to enter the room. Moments before the door opens, the water is frozen solid.

"So I said, 'Now that's a kata~'"

Before she could finish her sentence, the bucket slammed into the back of Ruby's head and she's knocked unconscious. Blake and Yang are shocked at the sight. Ryuki zoomed past them and held Ruby the same way she held her brother in the season three finale.

"Oh my gosh!" Yang said.

"Ruby!" Blake said.

Weiss suddenly springs out, smirking, the entire thing a terribly thought out revenge prank. She, however, thinks it's great.

"Ha! Now that's ice water!" Weiss said.

"Weiss, I think she's concussed!" Yang said.

"I think she's pranked, is what she is!" Weiss said.

Weiss merrily skips off, leaving Blake, Yang, and Ryuki to exchange glances, Ruby still out cold.

The camera pans over a wall of various arcade game posters, such as "shoot the targets!" and "Whack-A-Grimm", before leading to the door of an arcade. Several of the main characters are thrown out, their weapons having clearly been used on the games. The owner angrily grumbles and slams the door shut. Nora, however, stands up and is clearly angry.

"Excuse me!"

The door opens, a comically oversized teddy bear lobbed onto her head, balancing perfectly. As the door slams again, Nora smiles.

"Thank you!" Nora said.

Leaving her friends in a pile on the floor, she gleefully waddles off with her prize atop her head.

Back in team RWBY's room, we see Jaune messing around with their weapons like an excited child. Firstly, he plays with Ruby's scythe.

"Wha-Cha!"

He takes a few swings before spinning with it. However, the weapon is clearly too heavy for him and he spins off screen with a short scream. He jumps back in with Yang's gauntlets.

"Left hook! Jab! Upper-CUUUT! Oh? What's that? You want some of that too?"

After taking a few punches, he accidentally triggers a round, flying off screen. He then returns with Blake's gunblade.

With a surprising amount of skill, he throws the weapon into the air and performs a front roll, catching the blade perfectly by the time he stands.

"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Jaune!"

He looks at the camera, somewhat smug that he didn't mess up.

"Now THIS is a katana!" Jaune said.

However, while trying throw part of the weapon forward, he ends up tossing the entire thing off screen. Disappointed, he follows it. He hops back into screen with Weiss Rapier, acting somewhat feminine. He moves slightly with the blade, but then just resorts to wiggling his rump toward the camera. A cough makes him turn around. All of team RWBY, and the girls of team STRS, Sydney appearing and laughing as she finishes filming, are there, each reacting differently to the sight before them. Jaune just smirks, striking a pose.

"Don't be jealous." Jaune said.

 **I would like to take this time and quickly say that I am sorry for the mistake I made. I did not know that it can be incredibly rude for deaf people to "speak for them". I did not intend to do that on purpose and I am sorry.**


	72. Chapter 72

**The Fate trailer**

Oscar, currently ozpin, was sitting in a chair as Qrow walked up with a cup of coffee with bournpm in it.

"Did you recover it?" Ozpin asked.

Qrow pulled out the book titled 'The Book Of Destiny'.

"I also read it."

I opened it up to show drawings of twins, old and young with Grimm eyes. One of these sets of twins were Ryuki and Satoshi.

"Oz, you knew didn't you? You always knew that it wouldn't change." Qrow said.

"Hope is what keeps the children strong." Ozpin said.

"And if they find out?" Qrow asked.

"Then we cross that bridge when we get to it." Ozpin said.

"Well let's hope that it doesn't come to that."

"No…" Ozpin looked at a drawing. The camera pans over his shoulder to see two skeletons placing their palms on a type of orb and seemed to be screaming in agony. "Let us hope it does not come to that."

 **Satoshi trailer**

Screams. I heard screaming. I opened my eyes and looked around. The sky glowed red, Grimm… everywhere.

"SATOSHI!"

I looked down and saw Tatsumi. His aura shield gone, he has lost a lot of blood, his blade broken. Sydney… dead in his arms.

He looked at me with tears going down his face.

"Finish this." He said.

I looked and saw Ryuki. She was lying against an alter looking device.

I ran over, looking behind me and saw Tatsumi yell one last time as Grimm soon surrounded him.

I ran to Ryuki and shook her. She looked at me and nodded. We placed our hands on the orb and then everything went white.

"AAGHH!" I whipped my head forward and realized I was sweating. I looked to my left and saw Yang was still asleep. I hyperventilated for a few seconds before placing my head back on the pillow.

"It was just a dream." I said to myself before falling back asleep.


	73. Chapter 73: a little side story

**Hello loyal fans**

 **For the next few days, I am going to be busy with school work. However, I posted a new story if anyone is interested. It's an original that I had to do for my class. It's called Escape.**


	74. Chapter 74: Argus Limited

**Pov: Qrow**

'It's been two weeks since the attack on Haven. The official report states that Mistral's CCT Tower was thwarted by Ghira Belladonna and the Faunus militia group from Menagerie. A Huntsman and a handful of students coincidentally visiting the headmaster were also able to lend some assistance. Unfortunately, Leonardo Lionheart lost his life while trying to defend his school. And those responsible for organizing the attack managed to escape with two of their infamous assassins, Sighou and Kagome, badly wounded. As I am sure you can guess, there's a lot more to this report than I'm willing to say in this letter. But for now, what I'm trying to say is that we're on our way to Atlas, James. There's a good chance we'll get there before this letter does, but in case we don't, I need you to know that we're bringing a lot more than bad news with us.

See you soon,

Qrow'

As I put the letter in, Ruby and Ryuki ran past me or I guess through me.

"Hey, what's with the running?"

"And what's with the standing? It's almost time!" Ruby said as she pulled Ryuki's arm around the corner.

"Kids…" I said.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

We saw the people chattering in the station lobby.

Ever since Haven, I changed my outfit a little bit. Shane Orbeck, the captain of the Haven police and an old friend allowed Satoshi and I to have custom made armor that produces an aura shield. Satoshi had his armor made with obsidian fiber, allowing a resistance to fire. The main tint of his armor was dark blue and black. We wanted to hide Satoshi's claws, so we helped Satoshi create a new sword. A Mistral steel sword that can transform into a pistol, much like Blake's weapon.

As for me, I had a dark red with white outlining. The armor was made with a small layer of leather, giving me a resistance to electricity. For my bow, it's string was replaced with a stronger material and the bow/staff's blades were sharpened to a point giving it maximum damage in my book. As for our eyes, both Qrow and Oscar/Oz thought that it would be better if no one else knew, so Shane gave us custom made metal eyepatches that retract with the press of a button.

Ruby grabbed my hand tightly, pulling me back to reality.

"Hang on." She said as she used her semblance. As we flew through the air, I noticed Ruby grab something before we flew through the gate.

 **Later**

I was so dizzy from that as Ruby was smiling and humming, approaching the benches where everyone was. Everyone except Yang and the rest of my team were sitting, and Blake was elsewhere.

"And?" Yang asked.

Ruby lifted her arms and showed a bag.

"Ah!"

"What an absolute waste of time." Weiss said.

"For once, we agree." Sydney said as she was trying to scratch her ear. Tatsumi then began to scratch the same spot, making Sydney lean in with a big smile on her face.

'Wait. When did you buy-'

"What did you get me?" Yang got Ruby's attention.

"You'll have to wait and see!" Ruby said in a sing-song voice and stuck her tongue out.

"No fair!" Yang said as she attempted to snatch the bag from Ruby, who recoiled.

I walked over to Satoshi who was watching with confusion.

"Still think resurrected boyfriend is the top gift." He said.

Suddenly, Nora jumped in-between them.

"Oooh, I can't believe we're taking the train to Argus! Beautiful, Northern coastline! You really think it's too early for beach season?"

I could tell we all began to imagine our significant others in bikinis or swim trunks.

"Unfortunately. But, we're really close to Atlas." Rem said.

"Well, I'm glad you're all excited. But, I don't think you appreciate the trouble I went through to leave Atlas." Weiss said.

"I don't recall us asking the princess to leave her castle." Sydney said.

"Why you-"

"I know you're worried, Weiss, but trust us. Team RWBY won't leave your side for a second. I promise."

"No one's gotta be worried with us around." We looked to see two guys who seemed WAY too cocky.

"Aaaand you are?" Nora asked.

"Why Dee and Dudley of course. The Argus Limited's very own Huntsmen. We'll be keeping everyone safe as we pass through Grimm territory." Dee said.

"But for a generous tip, we can make sure your passenger car gets extra special attention should things *winks* get dangerous." Dudley said as he looked at us.

Ruby, Weiss, Yang, Nora, Sydney and I gave unamused looks.

"I got a tip for ya." Qrow said.

"Huh?" Dee asked as they looked towards Qrow's location.

"Buzz off. Looks like Mistral's really scraping the bottom of the barrel these days." Qrow said as Ruby and Yang made faces behind him, mocking the two thugs.

"Hey! You're talking to a-"

Qrow showed his Huntsman license.

"A professional Huntsman, right. Well, it seems one of you heroes left the staff entrance to the caboose wide open. It'd be a shame to lose your job before it even started."

"I... I didn't do it!" Dudley said.

"Tsk. Come on, dummy." They said as they walked away.

I looked down and saw Satoshi's hands were starting to morph. I grabbed his shoulder and he looked at me, calming down.

"You know sometimes the burden of saving the world feels overwhelming. But then people like that come along and make me grateful that it's our jobs and not theirs." Oscar said.

I smiled but stopped when I saw Sydney was staring at Oscar like she was angry with him.

So, you kids ready to go? Bike all loaded up?" Qrow asked.

"Yep!"

"Just waiting on Blake. As usual." Weiss said.

 **Pov change: Blake**

"I still don't feel like I deserve the freedom you and your family granted me." Ilia said.

"Well, you're going to have to get over it, Ilia. Saving Haven had a huge impact on how Faunus are seen in Mistral. Now it's up to you all to take the progress and keep running with it."

"Right. The White Fang may have been a failure, but with your father starting up a new movement, I've got more faith than ever before." Ilia said.

She hesitated for a second before running at me. I was expecting a hug when she leaned in and kissed me lightly on the lips.

"I know that you don't share my feelings. And that's okay. All I can say is thank you, Blake, for everything." She said. "I wish you didn't have to go…"

"I know, but my team needs me. We're going to track down the people responsible for the attack on Haven and the fall of Beacon." I said.

"Always trying to save the world."

"More than you realize."

"Hey, I know your parents already saw you off, but where's-"

"Sun?" He answered the question. "Oh he's right here."

I walked over to him and crossed my arms.

"What? You didn't think I was gonna miss your big send off, did you?"

"He definitely overslept and absolutely almost missed this." Neptune said as he appeared behind Sun.

Sun turned and groaned at Neptune, making me laugh.

"Hey Blake." Neptune said, "Now would you hurry up? Need I remind you we have our own trip to plan? Oh. I didn't know Ilia was going to be here. I'll uh give you two a moment. Hey, almost didn't see you there 'cause, you know, the camouflage?"

"Wrong tree…" I said.

"He'll figure it out."

"So, you're really going to Vacuo?"

"That's right, seeing you reunited with the rest of team RWBY really made me realize something. I'm like the worst team leader ever and team STRS' leader died and came back!"

"That isn't funny." I said.

"Fair. But really. Me and the boys were cool with a little hiatus, but we gotta make up for lost time. Shade Academy's not dealing with any problems like Haven right now. Plus, that means I can show the guys around my old stomping grounds."

"I have to admit. I think I was kind of getting used to having you around."

"I GO WHERE I'M NEEDED!" Sun said proudly and loudly. "And… you don't need me anymore."

"Well, when you say it like that, it sounds sad." I said as I looked down.

Sun placed his hand on my shoulder causing me to look at him.

"Look… despite the drama and the fighting and the numerous attempts on my life, I had a lot of fun. But you're with who you're supposed to be now."

"Sun... I don't think I'll ever be able to thank you enough. I'm still-" I said.

"You're still working a lot of things out, I know. But you can do it with them. And in the future, who knows? I've got a feeling you haven't seen the last of me." Sun smiled as he proudly balled his fist in front of him, making me smile.

"I certainly hope not."

I walked up to Sun and kissed him on the cheek.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

I watched Sun and Neptune walking down the stairs in the opposite direction. As they did, I watched as they passed a woman who was staring at me. She had long blonde hair and a white dress. For some reason, she felt… familiar.

I was about to callout to her when I felt a tap on my shoulder.

"Hey Satoshi." Yang said. "The train is boarding what're you looking at?"

I looked back and the woman was gone.

"Nothing…" I said as I walked towards the train.

 **Later**

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

The train was traveling along the snowy countryside along a mountain. Passengers were walking through the halls. I looked outside and saw some of the passengers. An elderly woman, a family and then Sydney dragging Tatsumi by the ear.

"Ow Ow Ow!" Tatsumi said.

I can only imagine what he did now.

The four girls and Satoshi and I were all on beds reminiscent to team RWBY's old dorm room from Beacon. Weiss was reading a book, Ruby and I were playing games on our Scroll, Yang was reading a magazine and showing Satoshi parts she found interesting, and Blake was looking out the window.

"All right, boy and girls, I think it's time for an official team exercise. Who wants to play video games?!" Ruby asked enthusiastically.

I raised my hand.

"Yeah!" Ruby said.

"I mean, if you want me to kick your butt, yeah sure. Let me grab my scroll." Yang said as she walked over to the closet.

Yang went to grab her scroll from her bag. We then saw Blake quickly walk over to her.

"Here, let me help you with that." Blake said.

Blake helped get Yang's bag down from the shelf, much to Yang's dismay.

"Blake, you don't have to that." Yang said as she took the bag.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Blake said.

"I'm fine. We're gonna be fine. It's just gonna be a bit before things are back to normal. But... I am glad we're all back together." Yang said.

The two smiled at each other, with Ruby, Weiss, and I joining in as well. I looked over at Satoshi to see he was still on his scroll, making me roll my eyes.

"Yeah, okay." Blake said.

"How touching." Qrow said.

Qrow was at the doorway holding a cocktail in his hand.

"Oh hey, Uncle Qrow! You wanna play too?"

"Kick your butts? Sure." Qrow chuckled.

Suddenly, the train jolted, causing Qrow to drop his drink. Passengers can be heard screaming in fear.

"What was that?" Blake asked.

"Exactly what it sounds like." Weiss said.

"Just my luck." Blake said.

"It's not yours…" Qrow said as he looked out the window.

Sydney and Tatsumi came in with our weapons.

"We got trouble." Sydney said.

"Grab your weapons!" Qrow said.

Qrow ran out of the room and Team RWBY and STRS followed suit, grabbing our respective weapons on their way out the door. Qrow ran up ahead. Both team RWBY and STRS rejoin Qrow as we too arrive on top of the train with their weapons out. Dee charged his weapon, an electrical spiked club, and charged forward to attack. The Sphinx roared and a Manticore flew by to snatch up Dee.

"Dee!" Dudley said.

Dudley watched helplessly while his partner was dragged down to the forest to his unfortunate death. The Sphinx roared again and all of the Manticores flew forward to attack.

"What's the plan, Ruby?" Blake asked.

"Don't let anyone else die!" Ruby said.

A few Grimm landed ahead of the train.

"I say half and half!" Satoshi yelled.

"Deal!" Ruby yelled.

With that, Team RWBY and Qrow charged forward into battle.

"Let's go!" Satoshi yelled.

 **Pov Change: Oscar/Ozpin**

I opened up a window to see the commotion, a Manticore barely missing him.

'Shall I?' Oz asked.

"No, I'm keeping control." I said.

I walked out and bumped into Jaune, with Ren and Nora behind him.

"What's going on?" Jaune asked,

I tried to answer, but was interrupted by another jolt as passengers scream in fear. Jaune's expression then turns determined.

 **Pov Change: Satoshi**

As Team RWBY and Qrow get to work on cutting down Manticores, Team STRS was just as busy. Tatsumi jumped into the air cheering loudly as he slammed his sword on a manticore. When he landed, Ryuki jumped off of his back and fired an arrow at a second Manticore.

"Ryuki! Rope!" Sydney yelled.

Ryuki quickly pulled out a rope arrow and fired blindly to the left. The arrow was caught by Ryuki as she jumped off of the train top and ran along side the side, firing her guns at any Grimm on the side. Before a Manticore attacked me while Ryuki held the arrow, I jumped up and sliced the Grimm's chest.

"I'm good! TATSUMI! FRISBEE!" Sydney yelled.

Ryuki yanked the rope up, making Sydney fly into the air. Tatsumi jumped up and caught her by the stomach making them spin. As they did so, Sydney shot at multiple Grimm, killing some before landing.

"Just like that that mission in South Vale eh guys?" I asked.

Ryuki nodded.

Suddenly, Dudley ran past us and took out his scroll out, activating the train's defense systems.

"Come on, come on." He said.

The train's armor activated, with reinforced plating covering most of the train while metal bars criss-cross on the windows. After that, a series of turrets rise above the train and begin targeting the midair Grimm, shooting some down.

"Ah, yes!" Dudley said.

A Manticore landed in front of us. I raised my sword to attack when I saw the woman from earlier appear behind the Grimm. Before I could react to either, the Manticore slashed at me making me fly back.

"SATOSHI!" Tatsumi and Sydney said as they attacked the Grimm.

Ryuki ran up and helped me up, giving me a confused look.

Suddenly, there were multiple explosions. We looked and saw Grimm were going kamikaze into the turrets or destroying them with fire.

"There taking out the turrets." I said.

Qrow ran up to Dudley.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Qrow asked.

Oscar and Team JNPR climbed up to the top of the train to join the battle.

"Why is it always something?!" Nora asked.

Oscar runs over to Qrow, who is shooting at Grimm.

"How can I help?" Oscar asked.

"You can get that idiot to shut off the turrets. They're just drawing the Grimm toward the passengers!" Qrow said.

"Right!" Oscar said.

Oscar ran towards Dudley as Ryuki and I joined the fight again.

"You good?" Sydney asked.

"Just a scratch." I said.

"What do we do?" Tatsumi asked.

Before I could respond, we saw the Grimm on team RWBY's side fly back.

"What the?" I asked.

"TUNNEL!" Oscar yelled.

We turned and took notice of the fast approaching tunnel. Oscar quickly got below the train.

"NO TIME!" I sheathed my sword and my arms morphed into Grimm arms. I raised my hands and smashed right through the top, making my team fall with me. As we got up, my arms changed back before anyone could tell. We heard a scream outside. Dudley came in ands had a broken arm. Team RWBY and JNPR quickly ran into our train car as Oscar tended to Dudley, who held his bruised arm in pain. Qrow entered and approached Dudley.

"I said, turn those damn things off!" Qrow picked Dudley up and pushed him into the wall.

"Those things are keeping us alive!" Dudley said.

"Us, sure, but they're putting the passengers in danger!"

"I'm the one they hired for this job, okay?! I'm in charge here!"

"Forgive me if I'm not exactly reassured." Qrow said.

"What happened with you Satoshi? You just froze up." Tatsumi said.

"I thought I… saw someone." I said.

"What?" Oscar asked.

"She was at the station. She had long blonde hair and a white dress." I said.

Ryuki's eyes widened.

"You too?"

Ryuki nodded.

"Did she say anything?"

"No. Why?"

Sydney glared at Oscar.

"What are you hiding from us?" Sydney asked.

Before Oscar could say anything, Ruby walked past us and towards her uncle and Dudley.

"Get off me!" Dudley said.

"Look, if you bozos had been doing your job instead of shaking down passengers, maybe we wouldn't be in this—"

Ruby stopped her uncle and walked up to Dudley.

"Please just shut off the turrets." Ruby said.

"Trust us, we know what we're doing." Jaune said as he activated his Semblance to heal Dudley's arm. Dudley looks to us before giving his answer.

"Fine." He said.

Ruby nodded.

"Ren, could you use your Semblance to mask everyone on this train? With the guns off and emotions hidden, they might lose track of us!" Nora asked.

"Hm, I never attempted to affect this many people." Ren said.

"Well, you've never had Jaune's help before."

"He could amplify your Aura!" Weiss said.

"Yeah, that's an alright plan." Qrow said.

"Don't look so worried, Ren. You can totally do this!" Nora said.

Oscar's eyes glow as Ozpin takes over.

"First of all, Ms. Sydney, I am not hiding anything from you. I simply wish to know if this is a sign. As for the plan, I'm afraid there's one complication... The Grimm are also attracted to this." He said, pointing at the Relic.

"What's that?" Dudley asked.

"None of your business. Oz, are you serious?" Qrow asked.

"Why wouldn't you tell us that?!

"I—" Oz began.

"It doesn't matter right now." Ruby said.

Yang crosses her arms.

"Every second we're on board this train, we're putting everyone else in danger. Get the passengers to the front cars, you'll still mask the emotions and kill the turrets... we just can't come with you. If we cut the back cars with us and the Relic on them, we can deal with the Grimm. You just make sure the rest of the train makes it safely to Argus." Ruby said.

Upon hearing this, Jaune finished up healing Dudley's arm and walked over to Ruby with a conflicted expression.

"Only if you'll promise you'll meet us there." Jaune said.

"Promise." Ruby smiled.

With that, Team JNPR began evacuating all of the passengers to the front half of the train.

Ruby looked at me and my team.

"What are you guys gonna do?" Ruby asked.

Ryuki walked over and stood next to Ruby. I did so too.

"I'm not leaving." Sydney said.

Tatsumi sighed.

"Who would I be to leave the love of my li-"

"Get over here before I beat you up." Sydney said.

Tatsumi smiled as Team STRS showed their determination to stay.

 **Later**

 **Pov change: Sydney**

Blake and I jumped down and decoupled the train, allowing the front half to continue forward. When we looked up, I saw Blake look scared and grab her weapon before looking confused.

"You aren't getting scared are you?" I asked with a smirk.

Blake rolled her eyes and we jumped up.

 **Pov change: Ruby**

I was looking at my scroll and saw the signal on team JNPR's members icons in the low compared to the rest of us. Ruby looks back up and notices the Manticores and Sphinx exiting the tunnel and taking flight once again. The Sphinx landed on the train.

"Now!" I yelled.

 **Pov Change: Satoshi**

Oscar and I watched the train as it disappears into the snowstorm, before being attacked by a Manticore. We managed to fend it off temporarily as the remainder of my team joined in. When we kill the Manticore, we saw Team RWBY and Qrow fighting the Sphinx. After an intense fight, they killed the Sphinx. However, before it died, the Sphinx launched a fireball, destroying the rails in front of the train. Weiss activated her black Glyphs to hold everyone in place as the train derails and crashes into the snow. Ryuki sheathed her blade and raised her hands to slow the train down. before everything turned white.

When we came to, the back half of the Argus Limited was completely derailed.

"Is everyone okay?" Qrow asked.

Yang saw me and ran over to me to see I was okay. I looked over and saw Ruby and Ryuki having the same interaction.

"I'm fine." Weiss said.

"I'm good." Tatsumi said.

"Same." Sydney said.

"Yeah." Blake said.

"Still alive!" We heard.

We all look up and notice the elderly woman from the train step out.

"That sure was a close one, huh?" She asked.

 **Teaser for the next Chapter**

"WHAT AREN'T YOU TELLING US?" Satoshi yelled.

"Why don't you tell them?" Sydney asked.

Everyone looked at Sydney.

"Tell Team RWBY about the Twins' Fate." Sydney said.


	75. Chapter 75

**Pov: Cinder**

I woke to find myself under water before I used my powers to launch myself to the surface. I crawled out of the water and a couple feet, exhausted. I tried to light my power, but it did not work. I slammed my hand down and saw a crack in the wall. Using this opportunity, I smashed through.

I began to walk out in the rain and collapsed.

"Gods, are you okay?" I heard. "Where did you- *gasp*"

She saw my Grimm arm.

I looked at her with my maiden power before I attacked.

 **Pov Change: Ruby**

"We need to take the relic to Atlas?" I asked.

"That's what Oz said." Qrow said.

We all looked at Weiss as she heard that.

"You've got to be joking." Weiss said.

"What? Not up to head home, Princess?" Sydney asked.

"As a matter of fact, no." Weiss said.

"I mean bright side, we finally get out of this house." Nora said.

"I don't think that is a 'bright side' Weiss was thinking about." Satoshi said.

"For once, we agree on something." Weiss said.

"Well trust me, I'm not crazy about it either. And without the Spring Maiden here to seal the relic back in its vault, it's our best option." Qrow said.

"Atlas may be the safest kingdom we have at the moment, but the borders are closed. General Ironwood called everyone back." Ren said.

"Eh, not everyone. The city of Argus is a ways north of us and it's the primary trading port between Anima and Solitas. They've got the largest Atlas military base outside of the kingdom. There's no way they'd leave it abandoned and if we play our cards right, I think there's a good chance we could convince them to escort us straight to Ironwood."

"I mean, we do have the missing Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company." Blake said.

"Ex-heiress actually."

"Aw darn, what new nickname should I call you now?" Sydney asked.

"Not now Sydney." Satoshi said.

"True, true. But if there's a chance of reward money, I say we go for it." Yang said.

Weiss scoffed.

"Hopefully the first option will suffice." Oscar/Ozpin said as he entered, holding the cane and relic.

"Glad to see you're feeling better." Qrow said.

"Likewise, and while I'm sure we could all use more time to recover, I'm afraid time is of the essence."

"Right, as long as that thing is out in the open, its power could fall into the wrong hands." Blake said.

"Speaking of, what does it do exactly? Qrow never really told us." Jaune asked, cleaning his sword.

All of us looked at Ozpin. He turned to look at us.

"Of course." Ozpin took the relic and showed us. "The relic of knowledge has a wonderful, and incredibly dangerous ability. Its user can ask any question, and the lamp will provide an answer."

Ozpin set it down.

"Intriguing." Ren said.

"That's incredible." Blake said.

"So wait, we can ask how to defeat Salem?" Satoshi asked.

"No. While it is indeed incredible, it's not without drawbacks. The lamp cannot tell you of events that have yet to happen. And it will only ever answer three questions… every one hundred years." Ozpin said.

"Well, I guess that's not so bad. Adds a lot of pressure though."

"Then let's put it to a vote. What should we ask first? Oh! Can we ask for more questions? CAN WE ASK FOR MORE QUESTIONS?!" Nora asked.

"They're not wishes." Ren said.

"Hehe I' afraid you won't be able to ask it anything at the moment." Ozpin said.

Nora seemed disappointed.

"The questions were used before I sealed it away."

"Well, at least we know what it is. And we'll be sure to keep it safe."

 **Present**

I scoured through the train wreckage and picked up Dust bullets, and arrows for Ryuki before looking to see the Relic of Knowledge slightly buried in the snow nearby. Ryuki walked up and saw it as well before looking at me.

 **Pov Change: Satoshi**

I could hear Yang complaining as she struggled to get Bumblebee out of the snow. I stood up and walked over to her and tried to push as well.

"Great! This is just great! We're stranded, we lost a third of our party, and we've gained a defenseless old lady!" Yang said.

With one final push, Yang and I managed to get Bumblebee out of the snow, but we fell over to the ground, with her motorcycle following suit.

"Ugh…" Yang said. "Thanks anyways Satoshi."

I just nodded and helped her up.

"My name is Maria Calavera, and I am not defenseless! I'm just a little hard of hearing. And blind without my eyes, that are in desperate need of repair." She tapped her goggles which opened widely before closing and opening a bit, "Okay, I'm starting to see your point."

I heard a sneeze and saw Sydney was holding her arms to keep warm.

"It's freezing. Can't we get that Mistral captain to help us?" Sydney asked.

"Shane had to have all of his units help the border due to Grimm attacks." I said.

"Great. So we have one way of transport that just left. And the other easiest way is NOT EVEN AVAILABLE!" Yang yelled.

"Rg Yang, knock it off, will ya? If we lose our cool now, we'll just be inviting even more Grimm." Qrow said.

"Does that even matter? Apparently, we've been attracting Grimm ever since we left Haven." Yang said.

"Oh, and how could I ever forget about that? Whatever happened to 'no more lies and half truths'?" Yang asked.

"Those seem to be as easy as breathing for a certain someone." Sydney looked at Oscar.

"Yeah, I think it's time we got an explanation…" Oscar said.

Oscar's eyes glowed as control of his body switched to Ozpin.

"I did not lie to you…"

"Well you certainly didn't tell us everything about the relic." Weiss said.

"Not to mention the fact that you had a meltdown when Satoshi mentioned his hallucination." Tatsumi said.

"Yeah, care to explain that?" Sydney asked.

"Please, now is not the time." Ozpin said.

"No, we're past that. I wanna know why you're not telling us everything." Yang said.

"It is true that the Grimm are attracted to the relics. It's faint but undeniable. I believe that it has to do with their origin, but I'm not entirely sure. I feared that making you all aware would only add anxiety and negativity. It seemed like the safer option." Ozpin said.

"Right. Like keeping it from us would have been MUCH better." Tatsumi said.

"You know, I'm getting real tired of people choosing what's best for me."

"Is that why you chose to lie to everyone about Lionheart too?" Yang asked.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I believed the Kingdom of Mistral deserved better than the truth. And I believed that Leonardo deserved to be remembered for his lifetime of service, and not the unfortunate missteps in his final years."

"Missteps?!" Yang asked.

"He KILLED my friends!" Tatsumi yelled.

"And tried to get me and Ryuki to go crazy with those rage things!" I yelled.

"What professor Lionheart did was reprehensible. I am not here to argue differently, but does one lapse in judgement truly negate all of his good? Do we not all have regrets? You may have met Professor Lionheart, but you never met the man he was before Salem found him."

"Look we're supposed to be in this together. You can trust us. We're not going to turn our backs on you."

"Do you really think Leo was the first?!" Ozpin yelled. "That he didn't say those exact same words to me? I'm sorry but you have to understand that my behaviors are backed by experience. I am not saying that I have reason to think that you will betray me. I'm saying that I have reasons for the things that I do. The secrets I keep. The reason I…" Ozpin looked down to see that he did not have the relic. "Where's the relic?"

"Right here." Ruby said.

We looked and saw Ruby and Ryuki. Ruby held the relic in her hands.

"It got scattered in the crash." Ruby said.

"Please, hand it over."

"So all those times you talked about having faith in humanity, that was just for everyone else?" Ruby asked.

"*Sigh* That's not what I meant to suggest. Miss Rose, the relic is a powerful item and I simply feel as though it is my burden to bear."

"But you said that it couldn't do anything right now." Ruby said.

"Why does it matter who carries it?" Blake asked.

"That's it." I turned to see Sydney. "Why don't you tell them about the their fate?" She pointed at Ryuki and I.

"What?" Everyone asked.

"Sydney, I-"

"Either you tell them or I will. Tell Team RWBY what will happen to the twins if we win." Sydney said.

"I need you to listen to me." Ozpin began to move when he froze.

"Oz?" Qrow asked.

We looked at Ryuki who shook her head.

"Hurry." He said. "He's trying to stop you."

"Stop her from what?" Yang asked.

"He's afraid you'll find out what he's… hiding." Oscar fell to the ground. "Her name is Jinn. Say her name to summon her."

"Her name?" Ruby asked.

Ruby looked down at the relic.

"Jinn." Ruby said.

Everything froze in time.

"What?" Qrow asked.

The lamp flew out from Ruby's arms. And in an instant, a blue person emerged from the relic.

"Mmm Wodnerful."

"Tell me, what knowledge do you seek? I am Jinn. A being created by the God of Light to aid humanity in it's pursuit of knowledge. I've been graced with the ability to answer three questions every one hundred years. You're in luck, as I am still able to answer-"

"That's enough!" Ozpin said.

We all turned to him.

"-two questions this era." Jinn finished.

We were shocked.

"Heh It's a pleasure to see you again old man. Ah and I see you found them." Jinn looked at Ryuki and I.

"Ruby, please. Don't." Ozpin said.

Everyone except Ruby drew their weapons at Qrow.

"…Do whatever you think is right kiddo." Qrow said.

We looked at Ruby.

"Jinn?" Ruby turned to look at the spirit, "What is Ozpin hiding from us?"

"NO!" Ozpin yelled.

We turned to see Ozpin charge at Ruby but before anything could happen, everything… vanished.

Everyone was gone. Ozpin. Ryuki. RWBY. Everyone.

"Ryuki! RYUKI!" I yelled.

"Once upon a time, there stood a lonely tower." Suddenly, I saw the tower. It was enormous an had swords and shields scattered across the ground.

"That sheltered a lonely woman." I turned around and saw the woman that I kept seeing brushing her hair.

I walked up and looked at her closely.

"Named, Salem."


	76. Chapter 76

**Pov: Everyone**

A blue dust cloud appears, revealing Salem staring from her window of the tower, her arms crossed. A woman humming can be heard in the background.

"Locked away by her cruel father, Salem was a girl who desired but one thing: freedom."

Salem walks away with sadness as Ruby Rose watches her do so when Salem passed by her.

"She lived in a time when kings and their kingdoms were plentiful, when men and women were capable of greatness, and magic was a gift from the gods that all could wield."

Salem sits down and leans against the desk of her mirror. She holds her left hand, using her magic; four magical spheres with a magic circle in six basic colors appear over her hand.

"And yet, there she sat within her tower."

As Salem looks down, the blue dust cloud reappears and envelops Salem to the next scene. The blue smoke reforms the castle Salem resides in.

"Until one day, a legendary hero came to brave the challenges within the tower's walls."

A young man in armor and a cape wielding a scepter appears standing proudly in front of the tower.

"The people of the lands knew him as Ozma. Unlike those who had come before, this warrior was not driven by the prize of the young maiden's hand. He fought only for righteousness, and his pure heart and courageous soul prevailed."

As Ozma walks up to the tower, other warriors are shown falling in battle. Blue smoke reforms the scene once again, this time showing Ozma using his scepter to strike down a dark-armored figure. Ozma then opens up a door leading to Salem's room, where she stands up and offers a grateful smile to him. Blue smoke reforms the scene of them battling side by side with their magic powers.

"They escaped the wretched fortress, and yet something bound them together."

Smoke reforms the scene showing Ozma and Salem running away from the tower holding hands together. Once at a safe distance, the two stop to catch their breath before looking to each other.

"Ozma had been ready to give his life for justice countless times, but now saw a woman worth saving it for. And Salem, to her surprise, found her freedom not in the outside world she had yearned for, but in the eyes of the man that had saved her."

"So, where should we go now?" Salem asked.

"Wherever you'd like." Ozma said.

"The two fell deeply in love, planned adventures around the world, and lived happily ever after… Or at least that's what should have been."

Smoke reforms the scene showing Salem kneeling at an unconscious Ozma's bedside. Salem holds Ozma's hand and can be heard sobbing.

"Ozma, the infallible hero of legend, fell ill. And where all the beasts and blades of the world had fallen short, a single sickness prevailed."

Ozma's body disappears in smoke as Salem continues sobbing, holding his scepter in her hands. Weiss Schnee can be seen behind her watching.

"How could the gods let this happen?"

"The gods, brothers of light and darkness, creation and destruction. Salem prayed they would see the injustice that had befallen her love and make things right." Jinn said.

A bright light and blue smoke transitions the scene, this time showing a brightly lit place with a stairway leading up the mountain.

"The Domain of Light was a sacred place."

Salem approached the stairway, offering flowers. She holds Ozma's scepter in her hand.

"It was here the elder brother dwelled beside his fountain of life and creation. It was here… where mankind would fall to ruin."

They watched Salem walk up the stairs as smoke transitions the scene again, with Salem now at the top of the mountain as she looks upon the Domain of Light, valley filled with flowers with a pool of water and a tree at the center. Leaves blow from the tree and encircles above the water, and from it, the God of Light rises from the pool. He walks forward to Salem.

"Please… Please, bring him back to me." Salem begged on her knees.

"I understand your pain, but you demand of me that which I cannot make so. Life and death are part of a delicate balance." The God of Light said.

"So… you won't do it then?" Salem asked.

"To disrupt the cycle of—"

"But that's not fair... That's not fair!" Salem yelled.

Salem's voice echoes throughout the Domain from her last exclamation.

"Let him rest." The God of Light said.

The wind picked up, causing leaves to blow around Salem. Suddenly, she found herself back at the bottom of the stairway leading to the Domain of Light. She looks to Ozma's scepter in her hands before looking up angrily.

"No." Salem said.

Blue smoke transitions the scene again, this time showing a dark, foreboding environment with a stairway leading up the mountain, similarly mirroring that of the Domain of Light's.

"The God of Darkness…" Jinn began.

Salem approaches some skeletal remains at the bottom of the stairs.

"None dare to enter his home, as men knew what monstrosities emerged from his blackened pools of annihilation."

Salem proceeded forward, approaching a blackened pool of tar-like liquid similar to that of which the Creatures of Grimm spawn from.

"And so you must understand the Dark Lord's surprise when he found a lone woman kneeling before him." Jinn said.

From the blackened pool, the God of Darkness emerges, his body twisted and contorted. The God of Darkness crawls toward Salem in an unnatural position. Grimm can be seen inching closer to her.

"Salem understood it well. She told him of her loss and professed that she knew only he could answer her prayers, all while careful to make no mention of his elder." Jinn said.

Salem is seen telling her story to the God of Darkness before offering Ozma's scepter to him.

"Rise, child, and let your faith in me be rewarded."

Salem does so. The God of Darkness then conjures a purple sphere, and from it, Ozma's body appears. Salem approaches him, and Ozma gasps back to life.

"Where am I? What is this?! WHERE AM I?!" Omza yelled.

"It's okay! Everything's going to be okay!" Salem said.

Suddenly, the God of Light appears with a sound of thunder at the top of the stairs leading into the God of Darkness' domain.

"What have you done?" The God of Light said.

"I have done what I please, brother. You may bask in the powers of creation, but you do not own them." The God of Darkness said.

"This is not creation."

"Do not lecture me!" The God of Darkness said.

The Grimm slowly approached the God of Light.

"I will do what I must to maintain order." The God of Light said.

The God of Light puts his hand out, and an orange aura surrounds Ozma's body, before he disintegrates in Salem's arms.

"No! No! What did you do?! BRING HIM BACK!" Salem said.

"You dare enter my domain and show such disrespect!" The God of Darkness said.

The God of Darkness makes Ozma's body appear again.

"Ozma!" Salem said.

"I am abiding by the rules we agreed upon!" The God of Light said.

"Rules that I now see are ever in your favor. And yet the day a mortal comes to pray at my feet before your own, so do you arrive to lay your judgment upon me!" The God of Darkness said as he transformed into a nightmarish, dragon-like form that snarls at the God of Light. The Grimm proceed forward and attempt to attack him, but a bright light emanates from him, destroying all the Grimm in the area. He transforms into a bright, beautiful oriental-looking dragon.

"I know we have our differences, but I have not come here with the aim to control you. The same, however, cannot said for her. This woman came to you only after I denied her pleas – pleas that would have disrupted the balance that you and I created. Together." The God of Light said.

The younger brother pondered this revelation.

"Then it seems I owe you an apology. Allow me to correct my mistake." The God of Darkness said.

"No!" Salem yelled.

The God of Darkness fires a purple beam from his dragon form's mouth, disintegrating Ozma once again. Salem watched as Ozma's ashes blow away out of her hands.

"You… You monsters! Give him back to me! GIVE HIM BACK!" Salem yelled.

Salem activated her magical abilities. Suddenly, the God of Light rushed forward and devoured her.

Salem then awoke falling from the sky. She is then submerged in the God of Light's pool, drowning as an aura-like shimmer covers her body. Suddenly, she finds herself on the surface of the water, catching her breath. She looks up and notices both of the God Brothers standing side by side.

"When you first came to me, I did pity you. But it is clear now that your selfishness and arrogance have led you astray." The God of Light said.

"What did you do to me?" Salem asked.

"I have made you immortal." The God of Light said.

"Immortal?" Salem asked.

"You cannot die. You cannot be with your beloved." The God of Darkness said.

"So long as this world turns, you shall walk its face." The two Gods said.

Salem stared back at them in disbelief.

"You must learn the importance of life and death. Only then may you rest."

Salem tries to reach out to them, but then finds herself transported to a vast open field.

"What they did not tell her is that there was another way. The bond between human and Grimm. But without this knowledge, Salem was a prisoner once again. Her fruitless attempts to reunite with Ozma eventually became nothing more than acts of spite and defiance against the gods. But perhaps the gods were not as powerful as they seemed… She had lied to them, turned them against one another, they… were fallible. If she were to turn humanity against light and darkness, she could rid herself of their curse, or at the very least… she could make them suffer. Salem traveled from one kingdom to another, telling tales of how she stole immortality from the gods, welcomed any swordsman to cut her down, and demonstrated her powers." Jinn said.

Salem is shown speaking to various leaders of kingdoms, including the aforementioned king from before, an oriental-looking empress and her subjects, and finally to a savage-looking warrior king.

"With the kings and queens in awe, she pulled them deeper into her scheme. She painted them pictures of a time when they would no longer have to watch their loved ones wither and die, when they could claim the powers of their creators for themselves, and in turn, perfect their own design."

As Salem finishes telling her story to the warrior king, she kneels before him. The warrior draws his weapon and let's out a proud battle cry, with his people cheering along with him. The combined forces of the kingdoms are then shown launching an all out assault on the Domain of Light.

"All they needed to do was destroy their old masters."

As the warriors run in, the God of Light emerges from the pool in his dragon form.

"The gods had hoped that Salem would learn from her eternal curse, and she did. She learned that the hearts of men are easily swayed."

The leaders of the kingdoms Salem had spoken to stand in front of their people approaching the God of Light. The God of Darkness, also in his dragon form, then appears alongside his elder brother.

"Who has led you down this path?" The God of Light asked.

Salem is then seen walking through the crowds of warriors as she makes her way to the front of them. She glares at the gods.

"You…" The God of Darkness roared.

In response, Salem launches a magical attack, and the warriors follow suit. A barrage of attacks are launched at the God of Darkness, but he easily catches them all into his hand, absorbing them into a purple sphere of energy. Everyone looks in shock.

"My own gift to them... used against me." The God of Darkness said.

The God of Light looks away in disappointment as the God of Darkness squeezes the sphere within his hand, creating a massive shockwave that envelops the world, smiting everything and everyone in its path. Humanity has been turned to dust, only Salem remains due to her immortality.

"No... no…" Salem said.

Salem gets knocked back when the God of Darkness stomps his foot in the ground.

"You thought there was no greater punishment we could bestow upon you?" The God of Darkness said.

"I'll come back. I'll tell the rest of the world of this massacre! Build a new army!" Salem said.

"You do not understand. There is no one left. You are all that remains of humanity." The God of Darkness said.

Salem's expression turns shocked at this revelation.

"This planet was a beautiful experiment, but it is merely a remnant of what it once was. We will learn from this failure. I hope that you will learn from yours." The God of Light said as he disappears into a bright light of dust.

"No! You can't leave! You can't leave! COME BACK!" Salem yelled.

"Still demanding things of your creators…" The God of Darkness said as he also disappeared into a beam of purple light that shot up into the sky and out of the atmosphere. In the process, the moon is shattered. Moon fragments rain down like meteors back onto the planet's surface. Salem falls to her knees and lets out a scream of despair that is muted out by the crashing meteors.

"Once again, Salem was alone… She cursed the gods. She cursed the universe. She cursed everything, everything but herself. She wandered the face of the planet, awaiting a death that would never come… Until fate led her back to the Land of Darkness. This was it. This had to be it, the brothers Grimm, the pools of black that continued to give rise to horrific nightmares. If the fountain of life granted her immortality, then surely, the pools of Grimm will finally take it away." Jinn said.

Without hesitation, Salem falls forward and is submerged into the blackened pool.

"She was wrong. This force of pure destruction could not destroy a being of infinite life. Instead, it created a being of infinite life with a desire for pure destruction. And in time, she would find her adversary…" Jinn said.

Ozma is shown awakening in a white space. He takes a look at his surroundings.

"Ozma."

Ozma turns around seeing the God of Light in his dragon form, before turning back into his regular form.

"Where am I?" Ozma asked.

"We are between realms. I'm afraid a tragedy has befallen your home at the hands of my brother. We have chosen to depart this world, but in our absence, I would like to offer you the chance to return to it."

"I... don't understand."

"Mankind is no more, yet your world remains. And in time, your kind will grow to walk its face once again. However, without our presence, they will be but a fraction of what they once were."

Suddenly, the God of Light conjures five objects: a staff, a sword, a crown, and a lamp, and an orb.

"Creation, destruction, choice, knowledge, and sacrifice were the ideals upon which humanity was made. Now I leave them behind with the hope that you will learn to remake yourselves."

The four objects are conjoined together into a yellow sphere of energy.

"Should they be brought together, those five Relics will summon my brother and I back to your world, and humanity will be judged. If your kind has learned to live in harmony with one another and set aside their differences, then we shall once again live among you, and humanity will be made whole again. But if your kind is unchanged, if you demand our blessings while still fighting amongst yourselves, then man will be found irredeemable and your world will be wiped from existence. Until your task is complete, you will reincarnate, but in a manner that ensures you are never alone."

Ozma fell to his knees as he comes to terms with this ultimatum.

"I'm sorry, but... that world just isn't as dear to me without her. If I may, I'd rather return to the afterlife to see Salem."

"You will not find her there." The God of Light said.

"You mean she isn't gone?"

"Salem lives, but the woman you hold dear in your memories is gone. Heed this warning... where you seek comfort, you will only find pain. So, will you—"

"I'll do it."

"Very well. Heed this final guidance, the only way to be free is the Children of Grimm. Our creation rests within your hands." The God of Light said.

The God of Light then disappears.

"And so Ozma was reborn." Jinn said.

Ozma reincarnates into a man with a tanned complexion and pale blonde hair, who had just stabbed a Beowolf with a pitchfork, causing it to disintegrate. Ozma takes the time to come to terms in his new body and surroundings. He looks up and sees people screaming and running into the forest he is in away from a burning village in the distance.

"Where am I?"

Ozma hears a man scream, and looks over to see him flailing a sword at a Beowolf, which swipes at him to the ground, disarming him. Ozma's pevious soul takes over and runs forward, grabbing the man's sword and slaying the Beowolf. The man gets back up.

"Thank you. Please, tell me your name. Who are you?" The man asked.

Suddenly, Ozma's newest reincarnate has trouble speaking, and throws the sword to the ground in horror. Oscar watches the scene before him.

"Ozma had found himself in a world completely unfamiliar to him. Cities looked different. Creatures known as the Faunus wore fangs and claws and were locked away in cages. And without the blessing of the gods, no one could perform magic like mankind was once capable of, no one but himself and woman known as... the witch." Jinn said. "During his years of travel, he heard the same frightened whispers that spoke of a terrifying sorceress who commanded dark powers in the wilds among the beasts and monsters. Ozma was convinced that this witch was Salem, and decided he needed to see what she had become."

Ozma stood at a distance from the house. The front door opens, and from the darkness beyond, Salem emerges, wearing black robes this time. She gives an angry glare while exiting the house, but suddenly, her expression softens upon seeing her visitor. Ozma likewise smiles back at her.

"Call it magic or call it something stronger, but in that moment, the two knew exactly who it was that stood before them."

Ozma and Salem walk towards each other, the two hold each other's hands, interlocking their fingers affectionately.

"What do we do now?" Omza asked.

"Whatever we like." Salem said.

"As Salem and Ozma recounted the events which had brought them back together, each withheld parts of their story. Salem, fearing Ozma would reject her, blamed the end of the world on the gods. Ozma, still unsure of where the truth lay, kept his task and the Relics a secret. Though time passed and all seemed well, Ozma's conversation with the God of Light still lingered in his mind. He had found happiness, but humanity seemed more divided than ever before."

"Are you surprised? This world is quite literally godless. These humans have no one to guide them. Perhaps that's all they need." Salem said.

"What are you saying?" Omza asked.

"We could become the gods of this world. Our powers surpass all others. Our souls transcend death. We can mold these lands into whatever we want, what you want, create the paradise that the old gods could not."

Ozma is troubled at first, but then smiles in agreement with Salem. The two of them look each other in the eyes as Salem places an affectionate hand on Ozma's shoulder.

"The hearts of men... are easily swayed." Jinn said.

A village is shown under attack by a Nevermore. Suddenly, a purple energy surrounds the Nevermore, causing to be bent and folded into unnatural positions. The Nevermore disintegrates, and the villagers watch as Ozma, once again wielding his scepter and wearing regal robes, and Salem levitate into the air side-by-side above them. They all bow down to the couple in reverence.

"The two amassed a following. That following grew into a prosperous kingdom. And at the head of that kingdom blossomed…" Five daughters and a son, "...a family."

Ozma and Salem watched their children playing together, four of the little girls all wearing colors similar to that of the Four Maidens and the fifth daughter and only son playing away from the others. One of their daughters comes up to the two of them, playfully tugging on Salem's robe. The two parents smile at her before smiling at each other.

Blue smoke transitions the scene, showing a massive conflict between people that is being observed inside a crystal ball by Salem. Ozma stands a short distance away from her looking outside the window.

"Are we sure this is right?" Ozma asked.

"You said we needed to bring humanity together. In order to do that, we have to spread our word, and destroy those who will deny it." Salem said.

"But the children." Ozma said.

"If we give them the same gift I have, then they will agree with me." Salem said as she pulled out a vial of the goo of Grimm.

Ozma gained a shocked expression on his face upon hearing these words. He turns to see his reflection on the window, which suddenly talks to him.

'What are we doing?'

Ozma reels back in horror seeing his reflection ask him that question before looking over to Salem.

"This isn't what he asked of me…" Ozma said.

"What did you say?" Salem asked.

The two then hear a door open, and their eldest daughter enters the room excitedly.

"Mother, father, look!" Their daughter then conjures multicolored wisps that fly in circles in front of her. Salem has a proud expression on her face, while Ozma looks on in surprise, before looking down with his troubled expression again.

"It was a miracle, their children could perform magic. But what should have been a joyous occasion was short-lived," Jinn said, "Ozma told Salem everything, the true reason the God of Light had brought him back, the Relics that they scattered around the world, and the day of judgment he had been told to prepare for."

"Don't you see? None of that matters anymore. Why spend our lives trying to redeem these humans when we can replace them what they could never be?"

Salem offers her hand out, but Ozma hesitates to take it, backing away in disgust. Smoke transitions the scene again showing Ozma quietly escorting four of his daughters through the quiet halls. The youngest daughter looks down the hallway, noticing something.

"Mommy?"

Salem stood at the end of the hall menacingly. Beside her were the fifth daughter and son, except their both of them had one Grimm eye.

"What have you done?" Omza asked.

"Expanded my vision." Salem said.

Ozma protectively stands in front of his daughters. Salem, realizing what he is doing, angrily conjures a red beam from her hand. Ozma uses his scepter to counter Salem's attack, launching a green beam. Their attacks clash, engulfing the area into a bright white flash. Ruby and Weiss watch in horror as Ozma and Salem fight throughout the castle. Their battle causes the castle to collapse and be destroyed in the process. A charred plush toy is shown, implying the daughters were killed in the fearsome battle. Ozma weakly crawls on the ground, blood dragging from behind him. Salem then reappears behind him undamaged thanks to her immortality, and angrily walks over to Ozma. She kicks him over onto his back and holds him down with her foot.

"We finally had freedom…" Salem said.

Ozma weakly looks up at her.

"I—"

A blast of fire from Salem engulfs Ozma, killing him once again.

"Thus began a long and painful cycle of death and rebirth for Ozma. Some lives were spent in mourning, some deciphering what The God of Light meant by Children of Grimm, many were spent attempting to forget it all. But no matter what, his mind would eventually turn back to the task he had been burdened with."

Ozma's newest reincarnate is shown serving a meal to his wife and two daughters, both of whom interestingly have silver eyes.

"And as the centuries went on, Ozma began to learn the importance of living with the souls with which he had been paired."

Ozma then hears screaming outside. He opens the door and sees villagers running around in panic as Grimm attack.

"But no matter where or how he lived, her presence was always felt." Jinn said.

Ozma looks back to his wife, who nods in understanding, before going out with a mechanized cane into battle.

"If humanity were ever to stand a chance at being united, one thing was clear…"

He had to destroy Salem…

"Knowing he could never rid the world of her through any mortal means, Ozma sought out the power of the Relics."

The elderly tinkerer then places his cane inside a metal cabinet, closing the door on it. The door opens again showing Ozma's newest reincarnate, a well-dressed man, picking up the cane where he last left it in his previous life.

"Armed with my knowledge, he believed he could fulfill his promise to the God of Light." Jinn said.

Ozma is next shown holding the Relic of Knowledge, summoning Jinn for the first time.

"Where are the other Relics?" Ozma asked.

"He asked me his questions." Jinn said.

"What powers do they possess?" Ozma asked.

"And though I gave him my answers…"

"How do I destroy Salem?" Ozma asked.

"...not all of them were to his liking." Jinn said.

The past Jinn leaned in.

"You can't." Jinn said.

Upon hearing this, Ozma falls to his knees in despair. Ozma remains on his knees as Jinn disappears before him.

The flashback ended and Team RWBY and Team STRS and Qrow and the old lady all took that in. Oscar simply looked down in shame.


	77. Chapter 77

**Pov: Satoshi**

"Salem can't be killed… You all heard her too right?" Yang asked.

"I—"

"There was so much you hadn't told us!" Yang said. "How could you think that was okay?"

"All this time, I thought that it was simply bad luck somehow… now it makes so much sense. Our eyes… Ryuki and I are nothing more than another one of your victims."

"Professor… what is your plan to defeat Salem?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Sydney asked.

We all looked at Sydney.

"Jinn mentioned that the key to destroy her immortality is the bond between human and Grimm. I can only assume that prophecy that Ozpin told us about is what it does." Sydney said.

"And you know this?" Blake asked as we looked back to Ozpin.

"…No. It was only a hope that I still believe in."

I walked up and grabbed him by the collar and opened my eyepatch, showing my Grimm eye.

"So not only have I discovered that you are Ryuki's and my father, but you don't have a plan except for a gamble?!" I yelled.

"…Yes."

I lifted my fist to hit him when Ryuki grabbed my arm. I looked at her and she shook her head. I looked back at Oscar and lowered my fist and walked away.

However, Qrow quickly ran up and punched Ozpin in the face, making Oscar fly back into the tree.

"No one wanted me. I gave my life to you because you gave me a place in this world. I thought I was finally doing some good." Qrow said.

"But, you are." Ozpin said.

"Meeting you was the worst luck of my life." Qrow said.

"Maybe you're right." Ozpin said.

Oscar's eyes glowed and looked around, feeling his cheek from the punch.

"What happened?" He asked.

"Ozpin?" Ruby asked.

"He's gone." Oscar said.

"Oh hell no!" Sydney yelled.

"That bastard! Tell him we're not done yet." Yang said.

"No. This is different. He's gone. It's like he's locked himself deep inside my head. AGH I hate this! I want it to stop."

"He just left us?" Weiss asked.

"What are we gonna do? Blake asked.

"How could he do that?" Tatsumi asked.

Yang growled.

"Enough!" We heard. "We need to get a move on. It will be dark before we know it and every one of you is spewing negativity."

The old lady walked up and helped Oscar up and then pointed in a certain direction.

"There's a trail over there. Trails usually lead somewhere."

"Lady, I don't know who you think you are but—"

"No buts! I understand that you are all upset. Honestly I'm still coming to terms with the fact that there are those who are part Grimm and that this is humanity's second time around. But, if we don't move, we die. And I'll be damned if I've lived this long just to die out here in the cold."

"She's right." Ruby said.

I looked at the rest of my team. Ryuki walked after Ruby and Sydney and Tats walk past me to follow.

We gathered our supplies and salvaged anything that we could.

Yang was dragging her bike with the old lady on it. I walked up next to her and put my hand on her shoulder.

"I don't want to talk right now. Maybe later." Yang said.

I turned around and saw Ruby and Ryuki handing Oscar Ozpin's staff.

"I'm just going to be another one of his lives, aren't I?"

"Of course not. None of you guys are. You're your own person." Ruby said as she looked at Oscar, Ryuki, and I.

"Don't lie to them, Ruby." Qrow said.

Oscar took the cane and walked away. Ryuki and Ruby looked at each other before Ryuki looked at me.

 **Pov change: Salem**

I opened my eyes and glared at my subordinates.

"I would like you to explain to me... how it is you failed so spectacularly?" I asked.

"The Faunus Militia split out forces—" Hazel began.

"Stop." I said. "Let me rephrase the question - who is responsible for your defeat?"

Emerald and Mercury stay kneeling as Hazel stands up to give his answer.

"I take full responsibility—"

I stood up and threw the table to the side.

"But that wouldn't be fair, would it?! We all know who's truly to blame." I yelled as I extended my hand towards Hazel.

"I don't—"

Grimm claws spawned under Hazel and wrapped around him, pulling him down.

"Emerald." I looked at the scared little girl. "I want you to tell me whose fault this was."

I walked up to her.

"Now."

"C-Cinder! We failed because of Cinder…"

I walked past her.

"That's right." I said as I placed my hand on Emerald's shoulder. "I want you to understand that failure. I want you to understand why Cinder must be left to toil in her isolation until she redeems herself."

"You mean—"

"She's alive?" Emerald asked.

"You're joking. How could you know that?" Watts asked.

"Are you questioning our divine savior?!" Tyrion glared at Watts.

"I— hehe Of course not, forgive me." Watts looked away.

"It's important not to lose sight of what drives us. Love. Justice. Reverence. Family… But the moment you put your desires before my own… they will be lost to you."

As I walked away from Hazel, the claws released themselves and Hazel gasped for air.

"This isn't a threat. This is simply the truth. The path to your desires is only found through me. And so, we must press on. The sword under Vacuo's academy, Shade—"

"Ma'am…" Hazel said, "I have more to report."

I glared at him and raised my hands, summoning the Grimm claws again.

"Qrow and the children are taking the lamp to Atlas."

"Not if I can help it." Tyrion said.

"And they're being led Ozpin, along with both of the Grimm children."

"Ozpin is so soon." Tyrion said.

"He's the only one with a chance of getting through to Ironwood. Not to mention the childrenIf that happens…" Watts said.

The windows began to crack as my anger grew.

"Leave." I said.

"Your grace, I—" Tyrion finally shut up when I looked at him.

When they left, I cooled down for a second. However, that changed when I screamed loudly, shattering the windows around me.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

We have been walking in the snow for who knows how long.

"It doesn't look like this snow is gonna let up." Qrow said.

"Let's just get this stupid relic to Atlas." Blake said.

"Atlas is still a ways away." Sydney said.

"Lets just hope we don't have to walk there." Weiss said.

"I thought trails led somewhere." Yang said to the old woman.

"Yang…" I began.

"Do you have nothing better to do than harass a defenseless old—"

"Everyone quiet." Ruby said. "Do you hear that?"

We could hear the sound of a gate moving. We followed it to an abandoned place called 'Brunswick Farms'.

"It looks abandoned." Weiss said.

"It's better than this." Ruby said as she looked around.

"As funny as it would be to watch the Ice Queen here freeze her ass off, I'd prefer indoors." Sydney said.

"Come on, I think we could all use some rest." Qrow said.

We all walked towards the abandoned building to get some rest from the events that happened today.


	78. Chapter 78

**Pov: Satoshi**

"I don't get it. The empty towns I've passed through were all damaged or unfinished. But this place looks… fine." Ruby said.

"No sign of Grimm attacks." Tatsumi said.

"No signs of bandit attacks either." I said.

"Let's check the big house." Sydney said.

We arrived at the porch of a residence. Weiss was shivering as she wraps her arms around her to keep herself warm.

"Maybe everyone left in a hurry. Before things took a turn?" Weiss asked.

Qrow tried to open the door, only to notice it was locked.

"Hmm. Stay on guard." Qrow said.

Qrow kicked the door open and everyone proceeded forward with our weapons drawn. we cautiously look around the place.

"Close the door already! It's cold enough in here as it is." Maria said as she walked into the house. Afterwards, Blake and Oscar pushed a nearby drawer to block the door.

"I saw a chimney from the outside. Maybe we could get a fire going?" Blake said.

"Please. I'll look for some blankets." Weiss said.

"Yang, go with her." Qrow said.

"We can go look around for food." Sydney said as she and Tatsumi walked away.

Ruby and Ryuki lingered by the entrance hall for the bit while the others looked around.

"Looks like a study. Or, a library?" Oscar suggested.

Ruby walked forward to notice a group of pictures on the wall of the family that owns Brunswick Farms. Ryuki and Ruby looked at each other when Blake leaned in as well.

"What do you think?" Blake asked.

"Something doesn't feel right." Ruby said.

"It feels like there's something here. But… I am not sure."

"Let's look for some—" Blake began.

Suddenly, we heard a high-pitched scream.

"Weiss!" Ruby yelled.

We ran up the stairs and run into the room Yang and Weiss were in. We saw the bed to see a pair of corpses decomposing…

 **Later**

A fire was burning in the fireplace. Weiss watched it, still shaken from what she saw earlier. Blake wrapped a blanket around Weiss before sitting on the couch Yang and I were on. Tatsumi and Sydney were sitting close by the fire as well. The group hear the door open and close, and Qrow walks back in brushing snow off himself.

"It's the same in every house." Qrow said.

"What?" Yang asked.

"Bodies. Every bed in every home. It's like the whole estate just went to sleep and never woke up." Qrow said.

"Then we're not staying here, right?" Weiss asked.

"I am not staying here." Sydney said.

"We don't have a choice. Storm outside's only getting worse. We'd freeze to death before we made it anywhere."

"Well, might as well get comfortable." Maria said as she walked over to a bookshelf.

"Yeah, fat chance." Yang said.

"Okay, then, let's do something. If this place wasn't abanodoned it might still have supplies we could use." Ruby said.

"We will go check out the other places for supplies." Tatsumi said.

"Hey, yeah. Maybe even a car." Yang said.

"I'll do another sweep of the grounds with the kids. No one else goes anywhere alone." Qrow said.

"Yang and I can search the other buildings for vehicles." Blake said.

"Fine, whatever gets me out of this house." Yang said.

Yang and Blake left, with Ruby moving the drawer to let them exit. Afterwards, Ruby looked over to see Weiss at the doorway to the living room with a melancholic look on her face.

"Food always makes me feel better. hehe Just saying."

"Right…" Weiss said.

Ruby, Ryuki, and Weiss leave the room, leaving Oscar and Maria alone together.

"I'll tell you two what. You keep that fire fed… and I'll find us a story to read before bed." Maria said as she pulled a book down.

Maria sits back down on the couch and begins reading while Oscar sighs.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

Ruby used her scroll's flashlight to look around. Weiss used Myrtenaster to send small flames to light up the candles in the room.

"There." Weiss said.

We looked around the room. Shelves were full of alcoholic bottles and a bar is seen as well.

"On second thought, maybe we should keep this room closed." Ruby said.

"Huh?" Weiss asked.

"I'm just… Not sure how well my uncle's taking all of this." Ruby said.

"Oh…" Weiss said.

I leaned in and held Ruby's hand which she gladly accepted.

"Come on, we'll never get to Atlas on an empty stomach!" Ruby said as she proceeded forward.

"Ruby? Are we really still going to Atlas?" Ruby asked.

"Why wouldn't we be?" Ruby asked.

"I mean… you heard what Jinn said. If the only way to stop Salem…" Weiss looked at me, "then what's the point in all of this?"

"Weiss, you can't be serious." Ruby said.

"*sigh* Sorry, I- I don't know what I'm saying, I'm just really tired and I really, really hate this place. Anything in there?" Weiss asked.

Ruby turned around and used her flashlight to look around, only to see more alcoholic bottles arranged on a shelf on the right side of the room.

"More alcohol... At least we'll never have problems starting a fire." Ruby said.

"What's that?" Weiss asked.

Thats when we noticed a large, metal cellar door in the ground. Its handles are chained together.

"A wine cellar? Great." Weiss said.

Ruby then looked up to her left and lets out a yelp before zooming over.

"What? What is it?" Weiss asked.

"Food!" Ruby held out a can that says 'THREE BROS. BEANS: SHRIMP FLAVORED, EXTRA SODIUM'

"Canned food?" Weiss asked.

'Better than what my brother and I ate in the past?'

"Oh trust me, you put enough salt on anything, and it will taste juuust fine." Ruby said.

"Well, I guess it's better than nothing." Weiss said.

Ruby looked at me and walked over to me.

"Weiss, I need a minute." Ruby said.

"Yeah." Weiss said as she walked out.

"Ryuki, don't listen to what Weiss said. We will find a way to beat Salem."

'You heard her. In order—"

"I don't care. We will figure something out." Ruby smiled.

I wanted to smile… I really did. But I knew the truth.

"Okay?" Ruby asked.

I nodded. Ruby smiled and kissed my cheek.

"Okay Weiss."

"Let's bring the cans to the others." Ruby said.

We grabbed as many as we could.

"But I still seriously hate this place…" Weiss said as we walked away.

The three of us then walked out of the room. However, for a split second, I thought I heard a metal door clang and then nothing. Must've been nothing.


	79. Chapter 79

**Chapter 79**

 **Pov: Satoshi**

Tatsumi and Sydney were asleep already and Ryuki and Ruby stared at the moon through a window, sitting on the staircase. Ruby got up and checked on Blake, Weiss, and Yang, who were sitting on the rug and staring at the fire from the fireplace. I was leaning against the wall and looking at Ryuki as she touched her eyepatch, removing it and staring at it. Maria read her book while sitting on the sofa and Oscar was pacing back and forth. After checking on the others, Ruby stood up and walked toward Qrow. Qrow was sitting nearby the window, looking outside with his feet propped on the drawer.

"Storm's cleared up for now. We should be able to leave by morning." Qrow said.

"That's good." Ruby said.

"No… I don't have a good feeling about this place, especially with me around…" Qrow said.

I looked down at a wine bottle on the floor with Qrow's hand hovering near it.

"Are you… okay?" Ruby asked.

"Tsk. Save it for Oz's kid. Tell everyone to get some sleep. I'll wake you guys up just before sunrise." Qrow said.

Ruby walked away as Qrow drank from the wine bottle. Ruby paused and looked back at him before narrowing her eyes downward. She walked up to Ryuki and offered her a hand, which Ryuki gladly took and the two joined us in the other room.

"It's a diary?" Oscar asked.

"The head of this household, Bartleby. Apparently, he and several other families founded this little settlement to try and live on their own. It sounds like it worked, at least for a spell." Maria said.

"Grimm?" Oscar asked.

"Just one of many hardships. Slowed down their farming, made everything harder... It's a shame, really. He seemed like quite the ambitious fellow, always thinking of new schemes to overcome the odds." Maria said.

"Hey guys. Qrow said we should get some sleep. We're gonna head out early tomorrow." Ruby said.

"Thank goodness." Blake said.

Everyone gets up to get ready to sleep. Maria hops off the couch.

"Hmph, the last thing you'll catch me doing is letting some kid tell me what to do. 'Go to bed!' Tsk." Maria said.

Maria sat on an armchair, turns on the lamp next to it and continues reading from the book. Ruby shrugs and smiles before going to sleep herself. I had to get some time to myself, so I walked away from the others into the other room. I knew though that I wasn't alone.

"Hey Ryuki." I said as I turned around to look at her.

'What is wrong?'

"Why are we doing this?" I asked.

Ryuki tilted her head.

"We have been following him for the last few months and all that we have learned is that we were going to die at the end of the journey but we are not even sure that will work. Now the only reason that we are where we are is because of this," I pointed at my eye.

Ryuki walked up and placed her hand on my cheek.

"I'm sorry… I'm just… tired and this place… there is something… off."

Ryuki nodded and the two of us walked back to the others to fall asleep.

By next morning, I woke up to see the fire wass out. Sunlight seeped through the curtained window while Team RWBY, STRS, and Oscar slept on the floor. Maria rested on the armchair, still holding the book she was reading. Qrow slept inn the chair by the window, still barely grasping the wine bottle in his hand, a couple other wine bottles are also on the floor. The bottle slipped from Qrow's hand and clatters on the floor, causing Ruby to wake with a start. She looks around before rubbing her eyes and getting on her feet. She walked over to the window and opened the curtains.

"Close the window!" Weiss said.

Ruby walked over to Ryuki's bed and shook her awake, which she kind of didn't like.

"NNnnn…" Ryuki groaned.

I watched Ruby go to the entrance hall and pick up the empty bottle Qrow dropped before walking over to her uncle.

"Uncle Qrow. Come on, get up." Ruby shook Qrow's shoulder.

"Leave me alone…" Qrow said.

"We overslept." Ruby said.

Qrow, still groggy, just lightly shoves Ruby away. Ruby looks at the empty wine bottle, and after a moment, her hand starts shaking. She angrily threw it against the wall, shattering it.

"What?!" Qrow asked. Qrow looked around, seeing Ruby stand before him and then to the shattered bottle.

"Oh, right. Sunrise." Qrow groaned.

Ruby's angry expression softens, and she hugs her uncle.

Qrow got up from the chair, with Ruby following him.

After waking everyone up, we walked outside. Weiss was using Myrtenaster to weld a metal ball to a makeshift trailer hitch attached to Bumblebee.

"There." Weiss said.

"Can we just go back to bed?" Oscar asked.

"If we're all so tired, maybe we should make breakfast?" Blake asked.

"You wanna make it?" Oscar asked.

"Not really." Blake said.

"I'm too tired to tease you…" Sydney said.

Ruby, Ryuki, and Qrow push the flatbed trailer behind Bumblebee. Once it's in position, Ruby walks up to Yang.

"You guys got the bike ready?" Ruby said.

Yang just gestures to it.

"Well, it's done now. So let's hook this thing up and—" Qrow rested his foot on the side of the trailer, and one of the tires goes flat. He groans in frustration before checking on the tire.

"You people are just beacons for bad luck, aren't you?" Maria said.

Frustrated, Qrow walks over to a nearby fence post and sits on the ground. Yang also sits on the ground by the well.

"I'm starting to think the universe just doesn't want us getting to Atlas." Yang said.

"It's just a flat tire, I'm sure there's a spare." Ruby said.

"It's not just that, it's everything. Storms, crashes, monsters… I'm so tired…" Yang said.

"Me too. It feels like we're always having to fight to get by." Blake said.

"Yeah. But that's what we signed up for." Ruby said.

"We signed up to try and save the world, not just… delay the inevitable." Oscar said.

"Ryuki and I didn't sign up to kill ourselves." I said.

"Last night, I… I couldn't stop thinking - why are we even going to Atlas?" Weiss asked.

Everyone shares troubled looks.

"Weiss, we have to." Ruby said.

"Why? Ozpin hid the Relics behind giant doors under enormous schools, but… how long would it take Salem to find a lamp in the middle of nowhere?" Yang asked.

"What? The Grimm might—"

"They'd find it eventually, sure, but bury it or just throw it down the well, it would take years. It might not even happen in our lifetime. You and Ryuki can live happily just like Satoshi and I. We could be done with all of this… now."

Ruby detaches the Relic of Knowledge from her belt, glancing at it before looking up at her teammates, who appear to all have dazed looks as if they were in a trance. Ruby stares at the Relic one more time before walking over to the well.

"Ryuki?" Ruby looked at her.

Ryuki raised her hands to speak but lowered her arms.

"Ryuki and I didn't sign up to kill ourselves… maybe Yang is right…" I said.

"I am… really… tired…" Ruby said.

Ruby starts to have the same dazed look on her face as she holds Relic out above the pitch-black darkness of the well. However, instead of dropping it immediately, Ruby hesitates for a bit before composing herself. She starts to pull the Relic back, but something startled her. In her fright, she accidentally dropped the Relic into the well. Ruby helplessly watches it fall into the darkness below.

"No! No! No! I didn't mean to!" Ruby said.

"Ruby, it's okay…" Weiss said.

"No! No, there's something down there! I saw it, it was looking at me!" Ruby said.

Ruby looks back inside the well, only to notice the glowing pair of red eyes are gone.

"Hey, it's okay. You just said you're tired. It's probably nothing. Now let's go." Yang said.

"What's wrong with you?! We can't just leave, we have to go down there! We have to get the lamp back! Oh, what was I thinking?!" Ruby said.

"All we have to do is fix this trailer. Hey, farm boy, check the shed for a spare." Qrow said.

"I'm not leaving without the lamp!" Ruby said.

Ryuki slowly walked over and stand next to Ruby.

"I'll go down with you too…"

"We'll go down together." Yang said.

"Satoshi?" Ruby asked.

I looked back at the rest of my team and saw Sydney and Tats seemed too tired to get up.

"If it gets us out of here sooner, fine." I said.

"Fine. Get the stupid lamp. Oscar, fix the stupid tire." Qrow said as he heads to the house, passing by Maria on the porch.

"Where are you going?" Maria asked.

Qrow: Where do you think?" Qrow shakes his flask and walks back into the house.

Maria just looks down.

"Stupid…" Maria said.

Maria takes a seat on the porch steps and continues to read another volume of Bartleby's diaries.

Team RWBY and the two of us hop down into the well together, into a vast underground waterway system. Ruby and Yang take out their Scrolls and turn on their flashlights.

"Maybe the current carried it away." Yang said.

We proceeded forward cautiously.

"Oh, come on, where is it?" Ruby asked.

"Turn off your lights and just look for the glow?" Blake asked.

"Okay…" Ruby said.

Ruby and Yang turned off their flashlights, and Ruby pulled out Crescent Rose and proceeded forward with caution.

"There." Blake said.

Ruby looked to the direction Blake is pointing toward and noticed the blue glow of the Relic of Knowledge coming from a tunnel along the path. Ruby runs forward by herself. She made it to the tunnel, and finds the Relic of Knowledge on the ground. She runs over and picks it up.

"Guys, I—" Suddenly, we heard Ruby screaming.

"Ruby?!" Yang asked.

Ruby backs away and ran out of the tunnel. We ran up to see her run out, Ruby hugging Ryuki.

"What is it?" Yang asked.

"Guys…" I said.

The rest noticed the skeletal Grimm slowly trudging out of the tunnel. Ruby took out Crescent Rose and fires multiple rounds at them. One of the Grimm lets out an ear-piercing scream, causing us to struggle to stand. My eye was burning.

"What is this…?" Yang asked.

"My weapon... feels heavy…" Blake said.

"My eye…" I groaned.

"Run!" We heard behind us, "Now!" Maria said.

"Go, go!" Ruby said.

We turned around and ran, catching up with Maria. We saw the well but it was like the whole sewer system was flooded with these Grimm.

"This way!" Ruby said, pointing at a hole in the wall.

We followed Ruby run into the tunnel. They continue to run through the complex underground passages while avoiding more of the Grimm's kind along the way. They then make their way to an underground room. They make a run toward the other way, but one of the Grimm lets out another scream, causing all of us to collapse.

"I can't…do this… I can't…" Yang said.

"An exit. An exit!" Maria said.

I slowly looked up to see Ruby crawling to Weiss.

"Come on!" Ruby said.

I saw Blake drop her weapon and saw Ryuki behind her trying to crawl.

"Blake… get up." Ruby said.

"It's fine." Blake said.

The Grimm's claws slowly reached towards Blake.

"BLAKE!"

Upon yelling out her friend's name, Ruby's eyes start to glow brightly, causing the Grimm to back away in pain. All of us seemed to snap out of our trance.

"What just happened?" Maria asked.

Weiss ran up the stairs and tries to get the doors open, but they do not budge.

"They're locked!" Weiss said.

"Out of my way!" Yang said as she runs up the stairs. The Grimm recover from their incapacitation, and another scream is let out.

"No... No…!" Yang said.

As the Grimm inch closer, Maria crawls toward Ruby.

"Ruby… what color are your eyes?"

"They're…silver…"

Maria lets out a gasp of excitement.

"You have a family? Friends? Loved ones?"

"What?" Ruby looks up to see the Grimm getting closer, but Maria lays her head down and covers her ears.

"Don't think about them. Think about the people who love you. Focus on the thought of them, the way they make you feel. Focus! Life... is beautiful. It is precious. And it must... be protected." Maria said.

After focusing, Ruby opens her eyes, the silver gleaming. She sits up and her eyes glow brightly once more, driving the Grimm back and disintegrating them all. Maria and Ruby stare in awe while Weiss, Blake and Yang recover. Yang crawls up the stairs and punches the doors open with her prosthetic arm while firing from its gun. I quickly got up and helped Ryuki up and we all ran out of the wine cellar.

"We're back in the house?" Blake asked.

We then saw Qrow was drinking.

"Uncle Qrow, get up!" Ruby said.

"Hey! Get off me! What are you doing here?" Qrow said drunkly.

"We're leaving, you idiot! Come on!" Maria said.

Maria runs out of the room, with Blake and Yang following her. Weiss looks back towards the basement entrance.

"Not yet…"

Back inside, Weiss and Ryuki grab a few of the alcoholic bottles from the shelves and threw them towards the basement, shattering them.

"Hey… Hey! What are you doing?!" Qrow said.

As more of the Grimm slowly start to come out from the basement, Ryuki used her bow and Weiss used Myrtenaster to send fire toward the cellar doors. Using the spilled alcohol, they set the Grimm on fire.

"Now we can leave!" Weiss said.

Ryuki helps Ruby grab Qrow's arms as they drag him out of the room.

"Stop it! Stop! What's wrong with you?! What's…" Qrow said.

We made it outside, everyone sits in the flatbed trailer while Yang starts up her motorcycle. She wastes no time driving away from the now burning house.

Yang continues driving Bumblebee down the snowy road with everyone sitting in the trailer being pulled behind her.

"The Apathy. They're not strong or ferocious. They drain your will to go on. Bartleby's estate was hemorrhaging money towards the end. He wanted to cut costs on Huntsman protection, but in order to do that, he needed everyone calm… always."

"'Managed to get two away from their pack. Hike back was miserable, but got the bastards in the cellar. Wife thinks I was out sealing the waterway entrance. I'll do it tomorrow and tell her the truth once these things take the edge off of everyone. I'm tired.'" Oscar said.

"The next page proves that he did, but not before the rest of the pack followed their missing pair all the way home. My guess is they made their way beneath the estate through the water tunnels that Bartleby sealed up the next morning. Bartleby's plan worked. No one was angry or sad or scared. No one was anything. And then… no one was left." Maria said.

"To think that we almost fell victim as well…" Sydney said.

"Those poor people…" Tatsumi said.

"They at least didn't suffer." I said.

Maria takes one more look at the final page of the diary, the last words written down being "I'm tired". She then closes the book and tosses it out into the snow, the cover having "VIII" on it, while the group continues to drive down the road.

"I'm… sorry for what I said… about giving up." Weiss said.

Upon hearing this, Yang stops driving.

"Me too. We can't quit until the lamp is safe. And… as much as it pains me, I was wrong. Even if we got rid of the lamp, Satoshi and Ryuki would still be in danger."

"Ryuki and I promised to help any way we could… even if it means…" I looked at Ryuki.

"Weiss, it's not your fault. It was those... things." Blake said.

"I should have known. The signs were all there, but I'd never seen an entire settlement withered away like that. I suppose my mind just isn't what it used to be."

"Miss Calavera? How do you know so much about the Grimm? And in the tunnels, you knew exactly what to say to make me... to make my eyes do that. How?" Ruby asked.

"Well, isn't it obvious, girl? I had Silver Eyes." Maria said.


	80. Chapter 80

**Pov: Cinder**

Neo and I were in the Vault of the Spring Maiden under Haven Academy. Neo stared at the door that once guarded the Relic of Knowledge; the door itself is now a stone wall since the Relic has been taken out.

"Now you understand." I said, sitting on a boulder, flicking my dagger and changing its form.

"I've got to get the Relic before it can be secured in Atlas. It's the only way that Salem…It's the only way we can accomplish our goal."

Neo looked back at me.

"You're not the only one who wants Ruby dead. But unfortunately, Salem does not feel the same way…" I said. "I've been… instructed not to kill her and to bring the twins back… But you… You have no such orders. You can do as you please. Help me get to Atlas, help me find her... and the rest is up to you."

Neo ponders my words for a moment before smiling at me and holding her hand out. I took Neo's hand with my own, sealing the deal with a handshake.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

Maria told us all about her her stories. She then told the story of how she lost her eyes.

"But I wasn't… I went into hiding soon after."

"You were badass." Tatsumi said.

"I can't believe it. You… You're the Grimm Reaper, you were a legend! And then you disappeared…"

"How exactly does a legend just disappear?" Oscar asked.

"You never used your name, never showed your face. Lots of us thought you were just layin' low. Eventually, we just came to accept that you were probably dead. But the stories about you, I based my weapon off of yours. I wanted to be as good as the Grimm Reaper." Qrow said.

"Well, I'm nothing but a disappointment, so you're well on your way." Maria said.

There was an uncomfortable silence amongst team STRS.

"How can you say that?" Blake asked.

"Child, a Huntress is supposed to protect others to the bitter end. But after I lost my eyes, I only ever looked after myself. Even after my surgery, I was too afraid to fight. Afraid someone would find me again, finish what the others started. You shouldn't aspire to be like me, especially when some of you are clearly stronger already." Maria looked at Ryuki and I.

Upon hearing this, Yang looks down sadly.

"It's… comforting, seeing that your generation seems up to the task of inheriting this world. I'm just sorry I didn't do more to leave it in better shape." Maria said.

"Well, maybe you can do something now. Teach me to use my powers the way you did." Ruby said.

As Maria looks back at Ruby, a Scroll's ringtone can be heard. Ruby pulled her Scroll out and gasps in excitement.

"It's Jaune!" Ruby said.

Yang stopped the bike, looking back in surprise.

"How?" Weiss asked.

"Uh, hello?" Ruby answered the scroll. "The city? Wait…"

Ruby looks at the little signal symbol under Jaune's portrait, watching it get better as she points her Scroll toward the road ahead. The group sees a hill where the snow ends. Yang proceeds forward to drive the up the hill. At the top of the hill, the group sees a walled city in the distance along the ocean.

"Ladies, gentlemen, Satoshi, we have arrived in Argus." Yang said as she looks at me, making me smile.

 **Later**

We were at the entrance to the city of Argus. Yang inputed a code to lock Bumblebee and the trailer in a garage. Team RWBY, STRS, Qrow, Oscar, and Maria took the time to admire their surroundings. Through the crowd, a certain bubbly ginger-haired girl in pink zooms in.

"Cute! Boy! OZ!"

Oscar looks over in confusion, only to get tackle hugged by Nora.

"Oh, come here!" Nora said.

Jaune and Lie Ren also arrive.

"Are you all okay?" Ren asked as he hugged Yang.

"We were so worried!" Jaune hugged Blake.

"It's been kind of a crazy trip." Yang said.

"That's an understatement." Blake said.

"Wait, who's the old lady?" Nora asked.

"I'm so glad you're all safe."

"Seriously…" Weiss said.

"Ah! You're gonna love this place!" Nora said.

As everyone else engages in their own conversations, I saw Ruby and Ryuki look at each other and hug each other tightly. The sight made me smile. Suddenly, a pair of arms were wrapped around my neck and I was pulled into Yang.

"We made it!" Yang laughed.

"Yang… can't breathe." I said.

We let go of each other and I saw Jaune walk up to my sister and Ruby. Ruby and Jaune gave each other a big hug. After parting from the hug, Jaune looks down and frowned.

"Hey. I promised, didn't I?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah, you did. It's good to see you guys." Jaune wiped his eyes.

 **Later**

We were on a trolley heading down the streets.

"Wait Shane came to help you guys?"

"With the reports of the attack on the train, he and a few Mistral Guards came to escort the rest of the train. He seemed upset that he had to leave but even more upset that you guys weren't there to say goodbye to you two."

"Maybe we can see him again." I said as I looked at Ryuki, who nodded.

"This place is a lot bigger than I thought it'd be." Yang said.

"It's actually one of the largest non-capital cities in all of Remnant." Ren said

"Nerd." Sydney said.

"No way! But wait, wouldn't it be harder to settle something this big away from the main Kingdom?" Ruby said.

"Well, it was, until Mantle showed up. Early settlement attempts by Mistral didn't go well. But colonists from Mantle were able to help them brave the cold climate and return for goods that Solitas couldn't provide." Jaune said.

"The two nations worked together to create a hybrid city. While it falls under Mistral domain, Atlas keeps a military presence here to help keep the people safe and keep trade between the two nations steady." Ren said.

"Well, until recently…" Nora said.

The trolley makes a stop and everyone got off.

"We should probably start looking for a ship." Blake said.

"So, where have you guys been staying?" Oscar asked.

"Uh… hehe…" Jaune laughed nervously.

"There you are!" We heard behind us.

As the trolley leaves, a blonde woman with her baby son in her arm is seen on the other side of the street waving to Jaune.

"Is that…?" Yang asked.

"Hey, Saph." Jaune said.

Ruby zoomed in front of everyone and looked between the siblings before seeming overjoyed.

 **Later**

We were in Saphron's living room.

"I can't believe I'm meeting your sister! I have so many questions."Ruby said.

"Oh, I can give you the rundown later!" Nora said.

"Will you guys knock it off?" Jaune asked.

"What? I love telling stories about my baby brother." She squeezed Jaune's cheek.

Jaune groaned while flailing his arms at his elder sister.

"I am not a baby! That is a baby." Jaune said.

Yang and Weiss get all wide-eyed as they fuss over Adrian.

"Aww, you're so cute! Yes you are! Oh, look at your little face! Aww, coochie-coochie! Aw, baby! Oh my!" Weiss and Yang said.

"Hey Satoshi come here." Yang said.

I walked up and kneeled down at the child. I smiled and waved but he seemed frightened by my eyepatch. I sighed before getting up again.

"Figured…"

"So Saphron, you're the only Arc living here?" Blake asked.

"Yep! Moved the second I could. Jaune and I are the only two living away from home. I guess he just wanted to be like his big sis."

"I, uh… ugh." Jaune said.

"Aw, you didn't deny it!" Saphron teased.

The two siblings play fight with each other by pulling each other's cheeks. Then, a door is heard opening. A dark-haired woman with glasses is seen walking in with bags of groceries.

"Everyone, this is my wife, Terra Cotta." Saphron said.

"Hello!" Ruby said.

Ryuki and I waved.

"Hey there!" Nora said.

"Nice to meet you." Blake said.

"Why, hello there! Wow, quite a party, you weren't kidding. Hun, can I get some help please?" Terra asked.

Saphron quickly ran over to help Terra in the kitchen. While that happened Yang looked at me and smiled.

"Satoshi and I will be right back. We will be outside." Yang said.

Confused, I followed Yang outside.

"What is it?" I asked.

She immediately hugged me tightly.

"Whoa!" I said.

"This has been hard… on all of us. I'm just… I'm glad that you are okay still." She said. "Back at the house, I had a dream where you weren't here. That all of this was a dream and I was back at home. The worst part about it was that part of me wished that it was real."

I simply heard her out.

"You may have been gone… But at least you would have been at peace, not this reincarnation bullshit." Yang said, tears forming in her eyes. "Not this godless, tiresome, lie-filled quest that we may never complete."

I placed my hand on her cheek.

"Yang. You heard Jinn, there is a possible way."

"But we don't know that. And if it works, you and Ryuki—"

"Ryuki and I will save the world, as well as any others who would have to deal with this," I opened my eyepatch and pointed at my eye, "No one else should have to deal with this."

Yang looked down and wiped her eyes. The door opened and Ruby peeked out.

"Come on, we have real food." Ruby said.

We walked inside and Ruby was eating sandwiches.

"And you're sure it's alright if we stay with you?" She asked.

"Of course, we're happy to house Huntsmen and Huntresses." Saphron said.

"You all risk so much to keep people like us safe. It's the least we can do. Especially for such an elite Huntsman like yourself. Although, I will say I was surprised to learn you had students helping you. Is that even… legal?" Terra asked.

"Uh, of course. Think of it as an extended training mission. Trust me, I was a professor. Even went to the same academy as them. Let me tell ya, these kids are way better than we were at their age. Well, not better than me specifically, but a lot of students—"

"Shut up, there's food!" Ruby said.

Everyone heartily eats the sandwiches. Saphron and Terra share a look with each other, before the latter's Scroll is heard buzzing.

"*sigh* Excuse me, I'll be right back. Hello?" Terra asked.

"Is everything okay?" Blake asked.

"Oh, yeah, it will be. Terra's a technician for the town's relay tower. Unforetunately, the military's radar system is also housed there. Guess what's been on the fritz lately and who's getting falsely blamed." Saphron said the last part to her child.

"Me." Terra peeked back in.

"So, what's your plan for tomorrow?" Saphron asked.

"Well… We're trying to make our way to Atlas. We'll probably start with the military base." Ruby said,

"So, we kind of already tried that, and… it didn't go… super great." Jaune said.

"Come on, it couldn't be that bad…" Yang said.

The next day, Team RWBY walks up to the Atlesian Military base on the island off the coast of Argus, only for the gates to abruptly close on them before they could even enter.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Sydney yelled.


	81. Chapter 81

**Pov: Satoshi**

"Come on! You didn't even hear us out!" Yang said.

"Our orders are clear: The Mistral-Atlas border is closed!" The first guard said.

"Please!" The second guard said.

"Have a good day!" The first guard said again.

"But—" Yang began.

"A good day!" They said in unison.

"Are you guys serious!" I said.

"Hey, if you don't wanna believe that I'm friends with Ironwood—" Qrow began.

"General Ironwood!" The two guards said.

"Yeah, General Ironwood, then fine. But look, we have Weiss Schnee with us and we're trying to get her home safely." Qrow said.

The two guards look to each other before turning their attention back to the group.

"Approach!" The guards said.

Weiss shares a look with Blake, who just shrugs. Weiss then walks up to the gate and the two guards step up and bend down to inspect her. After a moment, both gaurds stand straight back up.

"Very well!" The two guards said.

"You may speak with our commanding officer!" Guard two said.

"We will fetch her at once!" Guard one said.

The two guards turn around in sync, and chant "Hup hup hup" and "Atlas Atlas Atlas" as they run to get their superior.

"They were… kind of—" Blake began.

"Bizarre?" Tatsumi asked.

"Super wierd? Uh, yeah." Ruby said.

"Hmm…" Maria said.

"What's wrong?" Oscar asked.

"Well, I... may know this commanding officer…" Maria said.

"That's good, isn't it? If she's your friend, then maybe she'd be more willing to help us." Ruby said.

"I wouldn't exactly call us... 'friends'." Maria said.

"Acquaintances?" Weiss asked.

"Not quite." Maria said.

"Colleagues?" Blake asked.

"No."

"Rivals." I said.

"Warmer."

"Enemies?" Yang asked.

"That's the one!" Maria said.

"Wait, what?" Oscar asked.

"Oh, yes. I come through here about once every ten years to get my eyes checked up in Atlas. You bring outside cashews on one flight, and suddenly you're placed on the additional screening list for life!" Maria said.

"You've gotta be kidding me…" Qrow said.

"Now, now, let's not give up hope yet… Maybe she's dead!" Maria said.

Suddenly, the gates open up quickly, and the two guards return.

"Introducing!" Guard one said.

"Special operative!" Guard two said.

"Caroline Cordovin!" The two said.

We were met with an old woman as short as Maria. She walked up and glared at Maria.

"Witch." She said.

"She-devil." Maria said.

"Hm. I've seen you've chosen larger contraband to smuggle this time." Caroline said.

"Oh, Cordo. You know they say time changes people, but I see you've still got that stick right up your—"

"H-hello! Miss, uh, Cordovin. My name is Ruby Rose, and I was wondering if you would hear us out about—"

"I've already heard what your other little friends had to say, Miss Rose." She looks behind us. "What are you doing back here?! I thought I told you to leave!"

"And I told you we wouldn't rest until you let us through!"

"Nice to see you again as well!" Ren said.

"You civilians are clearly incapable of comprehending the importance of our mission here in Argus. So allow me to say this slowly, with smaller words: This base, that relay tower, the very safety of Argus are all gifts from the glorious Kingdom of Atlas! And it is my duty to uphold them, as only I have the wit and tenacity for such a task."

"Such wit!" Guard 1 said.

"Such tenacity!" Guard 2 said.

"Or maybe Atlas just wanted to get you as far from the kingdom as possible." Maria said.

"You're just like the rest of these Argus ingrates! This city wouldn't even be here if it weren't for our Atlesian ancestors, and what do we get in return? The entire world is ready to put a knife to our throats!"

"Please, we know your kingdom had nothing to do with the Fall of Beacon. We were there." Ruby said.

"Yes, I know all about the incident. That disgusting Beowolf that attacked inside the school." She glared at me and Ryuki. I didn't like that one bit.

"Look, no one's happy about the Atlas borders or embargo, but I know General Ironwood is just worried. It's why we need to talk to—"

"The General is no coward! Atlas is strong. If all the kingdoms plan to make us their enemy, then so be it! Atlas will prevail!"

"Atlas will prevail!" The guards said.

"Do you guys seriously have to do that?" Yang asked.

"Like Dee and Dumbass." Sydney said.

"*sighs* If Miss Schnee has truly come to her senses and wishes to return to her family, then of course the Atlas military will escort her home. But the kingdom will not be responsible for her 'friends' of… questionable character." She looked at Blake and Sydney.

"Uh what did that bitch just say about me?" Sydney asked.

"I suggest you change your tone dear, before we have to put a muzzle on you." She said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tatsumi stood in front of Sydney.

"It means we're done here." Caroline said.

The gates to the base close quickly, leaving the group outside once again.

"Oh yeah? Well your face looks… like a big dumb boot!"

"Way to show her, Nora…" Jaune said.

"Fucking bitch." Sydney said.

"I don't…" Weiss began.

"Weiss. I told you we wouldn't leave your side for a second. We'll find a way to Atlas. Together." Ruby looked at Ryuki, who smiled.

Weiss smiles and nods back at her friend. Qrow starts to walk away.

"So… where are we going now?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah, what's the plan?" Nora asked.

Ryuki shrugged.

"The plan? The plan just got shut on our face three times over. I'm going for a drink." Qrow said.

"Uncle Qrow, I really think we should try and come up with something…" Qrow walked past her, "…together."

"What's his problem? It's not your fault we can't go on." Jaune said.

"If he's gonna be a jerk then we'll just come up with something without him. I mean, we've got Ozpin with us! He usually knows what to do." Nora said.

Upon hearing this, we all shared troubling looks.

"What is it?" Ren asked.

 **Later**

Jaune punched the wall, leaving a very large crack in it.

"Jaune!"

"Breaking the house is doing nothing to change anything." Sydney said.

"Everything we did was for nothing!" Jaune yelled.

"That's not true." Blake said.

"Really? Cuz it sure does sound like it." Nora said angrily.

"If Salem can't be killed, then how are we supposed to win this?" Ren asked.

No one responded.

"Wow... Great plan everyone!" Jaune said.

"Hey I didn't hear you say anything." I said.

"Neither did you." Jaune glared at me before looking away.

"Look, none of this is great, we know. But we're not the bad guys here." Oscar said.

"Are we sure about that?" Jaune asked.

"What?" Oscar asked.

"He's in your head, isn't he? Did you already know about this?" Jaune asked.

"He didn't know any of it!" Weiss said.

I stood in front of Oscar.

"You aren't taking another step." I said.

"Seriously?! How much longer can we even trust him?! How do we even know it's really him?! What if we have been talking to that liar this whole time?!" Jaune asked.

"Jaune!" Yang said.

I simply stared at him.

"Heh, of course his son would defend him. They're both freaks."

"Jaune!" Ruby, along with the rest of teams RWBY and STRS angrily glared at Jaune, who glared back at them. He looks back at myself and Oscar, who is cowering in fear.

 **Pov change: Ruby**

Jaune, realizing what he has done, backs away.

"Satoshi, I—"

Satoshi turned around and walked out of the house. Ryuki ran after him.

"Wait guys." I said.

"Way to go jackass." Tatsumi said as he left.

"Some friend you turned out to be." Sydney said as the last of team STRS left.

Jaune then went upstairs. A door can be heard opening and slamming shut.

"I am going after Satoshi." Yang said as she left.

"I don't know!" Nora said as she left.

"I think it would be best if we had some time to ourselves." Ren said before leaving as well, leaving the rest of team RWBY and Oscar.

"Maybe we could all use some space." Blake said.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

I was walking down the sidewalk when I heard behind me.

"Hey Tosh! Wait up!" Sydney said.

I turned to look at them.

"What?" I asked.

"Well you didn't think that we would just leave our leader by himself." Tatsumi said.

Ryuki nodded.

"Listen to yourselves. We aren't a team. Hell, we were just misfits piled together in school. Ryuki and I are cursed because of him. Nobody sees Ryuki and I as people. We are just ghosts. Once we go, two more will be punished."

"That isn't true." I heard.

Behind them, Yang appeared.

"I see you as a person Satoshi. Ruby sees Ryuki as a person. Your team is more than that. You four are as much of a family as team RWBY is mine." Yang said.

I looked at the others. All the things that I have been through as well as Sydney and Tats. And especially Ryuki.

"We aren't leaving." Sydney said.

I saw Sydney and saw the introverted girl who just hated everyone and everything. When I blinked, I opened my eyes and saw the more mature and caring young woman that she has become.

I looked at Tatsumi and saw the young and mischievous teen who would make perverted jokes. When I blinked, I saw the older and more battle trained and scarred Tatsumi who gave his signature smile.

I then looked at Ryuki. I saw her skinny and pale body that was covered by worn out clothes as she begged me to eat the last protein bar we had. When I saw her now, I see the trained warrior that has seen hell and still gives her caring smile.

"We are all family." Tatsumi said.

Ryuki smiled and nodded.

I rolled my eyes.

"Well I guess that I just cant get rid of you assholes." I said.

"Yup," Tatsumi wrapped his arm around me, "You are stuck with this merry band of misfits until death takes us to the next world." Tatsumi said.

"As long as we have each other, we are unstoppable." Sydney said.

I looked at Yang and smiled.

"I will give you guys some time." Yang said as she walked back to the house.

"What should we do now?" Sydney asked.

"Pizza?" I asked.

"Oh please, nothing canned." Sydney said.

Ryuki nodded.

"Sounds like a plan." I said.

"TEAM STRS IS ON THE CASE!" Tatsumi yelled.

We all chuckled as we walked away.

 **Later**

We walked back in and saw team RWBY and JNR. They seemed upset.

"Oh thank god." Yang said as she hugged me.

"What is going on?"

"It's Oscar. He's missing." Blake said.

 **Pov change: Caroline**

I was looking at the files and called one of the guards.

"MADAM!" He yelled.

"I would like you to keep an eye on those two from earlier. The ones with the eyepatches. I believe that they are valuable targets for Mr. Schnee." I said.

"YES MADAM!" He yelled as he left.


	82. Chapter 82: Christmas special

**Christmas special**

 **Pov: Satoshi**

I woke up to see my sister was jumping around, happy as she could be. This time of the year was always her favorite, even when we were freezing in the cold, she always had that warm smile.

"What's mute here so happy about?" Sydney asked as she woke up.

Ryuki's response was to fling her pillow at Sydney.

"HEY!" Sydney shot daggers at Ryuki.

"Its christmas. It's Ryuki's favorite holiday." I said.

"Oh my god. Are you serious?" Sydney asked.

Sydney pulled out her scroll and Ruby's face appeared on the screen.

'Ryuki! Merry christmas!' Ruby said.

Ryuki texted to respond.

'You want to head into town?'

Ryuki nodded.

'Okay, and don't tell Satoshi, but-' Ryuki took Ruby off of the speaker.

That can't be good.

We heard a knock on the door. I got up and opened it to see Yang. She had her normal outfit on and held a mistletoe above her head.

"Well would you look at that. A mistletoe." Yang said.

She grabbed me by the collar and pulled me in for a kiss.

"Ugh gross, go get a room." Sydney said.

"Then leave." I said.

"Smartass." Sydney said as she went back to sleep.

"So Satoshi. I have a few ideas of what we can do today." Yang said.

"Like?" I asked.

"Well, we could be mischievous or we could be kind." Yang said.

A brief pause went by.

"Mischievous." We both said.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

I knocked on the dorm of team RWBY. In an instant, Ruby opened up. She had her normal outfit on, but her cape had a bunch of candy canes on it and a candy necklace in her hands.

"Ryuki!" Ruby cheered as she put the necklace on me.

'What is this?'

"The start of a great day. Bye Weiss and Blake." Ruby grabbed my hand and we were off.

"Be back before dark Ruby Rose." Weiss said.

We walked out of the school and into town.

"So what do you want to do first?" Ruby asked. "We can go to the candy store or the dust store or even the weapon store. Oh my god… all of the things that we can buy…"

As Ruby kept talking, I looked behind her into an alley and saw something that made me sick. I walked past Ruby into the alleyway.

"Wha- where are you going? The weapons store is this way." Ruby said.

As I proceeded forward, I heard the thugs' voices.

"Come on kid, just give us the kitten. We promise to take care of it." One of them laughed.

"No!" The child said.

"Alright give it here." The second goon reached towards him.

I pulled out my bow and fired a frost arrow at his hand. It burst and froze his hand.

"AGH!" He yelled as he stared at me. "What are you looking at?"

I glared at him.

"Ooh silent and cute, I like that."

Before the first goon took a step, a shot hit the ground in front of him.

"Then you will hate me." Ruby said. "The police are on their way so I suggest that you two beat it."

"Grrr come on Rac."

The two thugs ran off, leaving the child and his cat behind. I looked at him and knew who it was.

"R-Ryuki?" Burnie asked.

I knelt down and Burnie hugged me.

"Wait, you two know each other?" Ruby asked.

"Ryuki and Satoshi are my friends when we were at the shelter." Burnie said.

'What are you doing here?' I asked.

"Ryuki is wondering what you are doing here?" Ruby asked.

"I was heading to the shelter with Mush here when those guys stopped me." Burnie said.

I rolled my eyes and stood up. I looked at Ruby, who nodded her head. I extended my hand to Burnie. He looked at me and I gave the universal 'Come on' head turn.

Burnie took my hand and the three of us were walking to the shelter.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

We walked to the courtyard of the school and Yang stopped me.

"So what are we gonna do first?" Yang asked.

"How about we…"

 **Later**

"YOU RAPSCALLIONS!" Professor Port yelled as he chased us with half of his mustache.

"Split up!" Yang yelled.

We ran in opposite directions and Port decided to chase Yang.

"Meet at DT!" Yang yelled.

I knew what that meant and ran to said destination.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

We made it to the shelter. Other people were there and having some warm soup.

"Thank you guys. It was said that I wasn't able to see Satoshi again, but I am glad that you guys helped Mush and I." Burnie said.

"No problem."

I couldn't just leave him with nothing. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my wallet. I had about a hundred and ten lien. I pulled it all out and handed it to Burnie.

"Ryuki. I can't."

I extended it again.

"Ryuki."

I reached towards Mush and pet him.

"For Mush at least." Ruby said as she handed Burnie another sixty lien.

Burnie looked at us and took the money.

"I-I dont know what to say. I owe you two."

I shook my head.

"Think of it as a Christmas gift." Ruby said.

"I-I promise to look after Mush. Promise." Burnie said.

"Good now get going or else you're gonna run outta soup." Ruby said.

Burnie nodded and walked in.

I looked at Ruby and smiled.

'Thank you.'

"You are gonna have to tell me all about that cat since I am gonna be visiting him every single week from now on." Ruby said.

I nodded and the two of us proceeded to the center of downtown.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

I was at the center of downtown. There was a huge Christmas tree in the center with glowing lights. It was starting to get dark, showing the lights even more so. I was admiring the tree when I saw Yang appear next to me.

"I see that you made it." Yang said.

"Unseen and unfollowed." I said.

"Good. Hey is that Ryuki and Ruby?"

I turned to see the two of them admiring the tree down the way.

"Yeah it is." I said.

"What prank should we pull on them?" Yang asked.

I thought about it when I figured out the perfect prank.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

I placed my head on Ruby's shoulder. It was nice to just relax.

"Hey kid, your butt is on fire." I heard.

Ryuki and I looked at the man.

"Excuse me?"

"Your butt is on fire." He said again.

I looked at Ruby. I gave her a 'WTF' look.

She looked and started freaking out. That is when I saw Satoshi and Yang behind us laughing while Ruby was patting her rear to try and put out the fire.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

We were laughing as hard as we could when we felt our ears being pulled.

"And I believe that this concludes your little shenanigans and given you two a week's worth of detention." Goodwitch said.

 **Happy holidays everyone.**


	83. Chapter 83: Ambush

**Chapter 83**

 **Pov: Jaune**

"Oscar!" I yelled

"Oscar?!" Nora yelled as well.

"This city is enormous. He could have gone anywhere." Ren said.

"And it doesn't help that Team STRS took off as well…" Nora said.

"It's all my fault." I said. "I overreacted."

"I still don't understand what happened. Was it about the mission?"

"It's… hard to explain."

"I know. I know. Top secret. Did Oscar do something wrong?"

"No he didn't. We just got some information and… its going to be a lot harder than we thought. I got upset and yelled at one of my closest friends in the process." I said.

"I mean, if it was easy, it wouldn't be important. As for your friend, friends fight all the time. Fighting just strengthens the bond."

"The subject of what I said was very sensitive to half of the team." I said.

"I think we're all just a bit unsure of what to do next." Ren said.

"Well you guys could stay in Mistral, get your licenses at Haven and then come back to Argus. There's a lot of good all of you can do here. I know that your mission is important but it's not like you guys are the only ones that can do it. It's not the only mission that needs doing."

For my team? Maybe. But Team STRS? No…

"It's not that simple." I said.

Sis fell behind a bit.

"Well… I should go pick up Adrian from daycare. I will let Terra know what happened and we will meet you later. Good luck…" She said as she left.

"…Hey, there's a cafe not too far from here. Why don't we go there and warm up?" Nora asked.

"I'm okay. You guys go on ahead." I said as I walked over and sat at a bench.

I replied with silence.

"We'll be right back." Ren said as they left.

 **Pov change: Caroline**

"So Mr. Schnee, how would you like them?" I asked.

'Dead or alive. I don't care for the rest of their team, just them.'

"Understood. Consider it done." I said as I hung up. "Officers!"

The two morons at the front gate appeared in an instant.

"Yes ma'am." They said in unison.

"Go and get me those twins. They are high valued targets. Bring them to me alive if at all possible but do not shy away from using… Brutal. Force. Tell the other patrols around the city as well."

 **Pov change: Jaune (After conversation with Pyrrha's mother at her statue)**

Ren and Nora appeared as I just finished the conversation.

"Jaune, why did you w-*gasp*"

"I'm sorry." I said. "I have been a terrible leader. And a terrible friend and—"

"Jaune. This has to stop." Ren said.

"We… heard what you said to Cinder at Haven. You're not being fair to yourself. We love you just like we loved Pyrrha. We're teammates. Family."

"We don't want to lose you too."

I looked at the statue.

"I think… she knew she wasn't going to win. That she might not come out alive. But… she also knew that she was the only one that could try. So she did."

"Maybe we should too." Nora said.

"Yeah, we should."

"Pyrrha may not be by our side anymore. But we can fight like she is." Nora said.

"And in a way, she will be." I said.

Nora handed me a drink that was in her hand.

"We should check back at the house." Ren said as he and Nora began to walk back. I looked at the statue before following them.

"Thank you…" I said.

I walked up to the others as we passed an Atlas patrol group.

"Hey we just got two new targets. Twins. High value. Wear eyepatches."

"Alright let's go search by the statue and start from there."

We all looked at each other.

"The twins." Nora said.

"We have to warn them." Ren said.

I pulled out my scroll and called.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

I pulled out my scroll and denied Jaune's call. I wasn't wanting to speak to him at least for now. Right now, we were walking down the sidewalk, enjoying some pizza that Tats paid for because of a joke he made about Sydney.

"When should we head back?" Tats asked as he bit into his sausage pizza.

"After my piece." Sydney said as she swallowed her bite.

We continued walking when we saw two dumb-asses from the gate walking towards us.

"These guys are everywhere." I said.

"Hey!" One of them said.

Okay… maybe I should have answered Jaune's call.

"What?"

"We have been instructed-"

"To bring YOU." One finger aimed at me.

"And YOU." Another finger aimed at Ryuki.

"To our base. Brutal force will be dealt if you refuse." They said in unison.

Definitely should have answered that call.

I looked down at my pizza slice and at Ryuki, who nodded.

"Hey you know, this pizza is so tasty. Try some!" I threw the pizza in one of the officer's faces. Ryuki did the same before lifting them both up and pushing them back a few feet.

"Down here." Sydney said as she pointed down the alley.

We quickly ran down the alley. Before we made any real distance, another patrol was down tehir, aiming their guns at us.

"Team STRS, some of your teammates are under arrest and must come with us."

Back to back, Tats and Sydney stared at one patrol while Ryuki and I stared at the other.

"What do you guys say? Sparring session?" I asked.

"COME ON!" Tats slammed his fists together and charged at one of the officers while Sydney charged the other.

"Lethal force permitted!" One of the officers reached for their gun.

Ryuki quickly grabbed her bow and fired a frost arrow at his hand, trapping it to his leg.

I pulled out my sword as an officer pulled out a baton and we clashed weapons.

 **Pov change: Ruby**

We were in front of the house, Oscar found and Qrow drunk, when Jaune an his team walked inside.

"Guys! Team STRS may be in trouble." Jaune said.

"What?!" Yang and I asked.

"The military just classified the twins as high valued targets."

"I think I know for who." Weiss said.

"We have to find them." I said.

"I think they were found." Terra said as she turned up the TV.

'Breaking News: A fight has broken out between a group of teenagers and the Atlas military. The reasoning behind it is unclear, however the entire west section has been closed off to all citizens.'

"Oh my god…" Blake said.

"We have to go after them."

"The west sector is massive and there will be military everywhere. All we can do is wait for now." Terra said.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

Sydney was kicked back as she grabbed my arm, propelling her right back at the officer an kicking him in the side.

"This is a bit tough, I will admit." I said.

"Get them!" The officer yelled.

We continued fighting when I heard Ryuki's aura break. I watched as she was shot in the shoulder.

"Ryuki!" I yelled.

Ryuki looked around before looking up. She pulled out a black arrow and fired at the ground. Suddenly, we flew into the air.

"Grab an edge!" I said.

We made it to the top and we all brushed ourselves off. Suddenly a second shot was fired. I looked behind me and Ryuki's side had a tranquilizer in it. Everything was slow as I watched her fall back down the building into the group of officers.

"Fire!" One of them yelled as they fired at us.

"Satoshi. We have to go!" Tats said.

"We have to get her!" I said as my arms turned into Grimm claws.

"WE GO BACK, WE DIE OR WORSE. THERE ARE MORE COMING! WE HAVE TO GO!" Tats said as he grabbed me.

Sydney and Tatsumi grabbed me and had to drag me back as I tried to break free. Suddenly I felt a hit on the back of my head and I went under.

 **Pov change: Ruby**

We were waiting when Sydney and Tatsumi came in with Satoshi. They were injured or bleeding. Satoshi looked broken. And no Ryuki…

"Where's…" I asked.

"They took her." Sydney said.

"I am going to tear that base apart looking for her." Satoshi said.

Qrow began to walk upstairs, but I stopped him halfway.

"Where are you going now?" I asked.

"I don't want to make things worse than they are. We found the kid but lost one of the twins again."

"You have been gone all day and now we lost a member of our group and all you can do is just leave? Help us." Ruby said.

"Look Ruby, I know that she is your girlfriend and all, but the fact is that not only are we not a single step closer to Atlas, we have the whole city looking for him," He pointed at Satoshi. "How are we supposed to get to Atlas and get Ryuki back?"

"Actually. I think I have an idea." Jaune said.

"But it is a sort of no going back kind of idea." Jaune said.

Satoshi walked up to him.

"If it gets Ryuki back, I'm in." Satoshi said.

"No one messes with us and gets away with it." Sydney said.

"Well, let's hear it." I said.

"Since Cordo wants both of the twins, she won't send Ryuki off without her brother. Which means that Ryuki will most likely be on the base and near Cordo. And since she is in charge there, only Atlas aircrafts have the clearance to leave for Solitos. So we send Sydney to get Ryuki and… we… steal an Atlas airship." Jaune said, unsure of himself.

Adrian started laughing.

"That's not just breaking the law. That's… That's definitely worse."

"We wouldn't even get onto the airfield. Let alone get Ryuki back if she would be so close to Cordo." Yang said.

"THAT part I havent quite figured out yet." Jaune said. "But I was—"

"Okay, Okay, just stop. Just. Stop." Qrow said. "Look if this thing goes south, this isn't something we can just fight our way out of. This is the Atlas military we're talking about here. For your sake, drop this. And kid, believe me, I know what it is like to lose someone. But you won't make it five feet in there without getting killed." Qrow said.

I looked at the others.

"I will go there by myself if I have to. Ryuki is not being left there with that woman." Satoshi said.

"You won't have to."

Everyone looked at me.

"Actually." I looked at Qrow, "I want to hear Jaune out."

"Ruby—"

"I want to hear him out! I know that you're trying to protect us or afraid we can't do it but right now I don't really care what you think. Ryuki is my girlfriend and my friend. I am not just abandoning her so if there is even the smallest chance we can help, then I am willing to do it."

Qrow was a little stunned.

"Just because you doesn't have an idea doesn't mean that we're out of options. Oz hasn't been here to tell us what to do but we have managed to get this far anyway. We have been in bad situations before and we didn't need an adult to come save us or tell us what to do. We just did it our way. And I say we do it our way. And if you think you can keep up with us kids, we'd be happy to have you." I said.

Maria started chuckling.

"Looks like you didn't give her enough credit either." She said.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

I was dragged across the floor of the airbase, into the main HQ. My clothes were replaced with prison attire and my eyepatch gone and my aura gone as well. My hands bound by a heavy metal, keeping me from using my semblance. I was taken inside of Cordo's office where she stood at eye level.

"The Grimm boy?" She asked.

"Escaped."

"But injured."

"Find him. Mr. Schnee will enjoy having these two to… experiment on heh heh. Take her to the holding cells." Cordo said.

They dragged me away. Down one floor and down a small hallway into a cell.

Satoshi… Ruby… hurry.


	84. Chapter 84: The Breakout

**Pov: Sydney**

We were within the walls of the Atlesian airbase. Weiss dragging Maria her in a suitcase, Saphron holding her son. Weiss told Cordo that she wished to come home, which has managed to work. As soon as the gates opened, I ran through, invisible thanks to my semblance. I looked back at the "three".

"I was relieved to hear that you had come to your senses, Miss Schnee." Coro said as they walked away.

I ran over to the map of the compound.

'Come on you piece of shit, where are you.' I asked myself.

Holding Cells. Far Right.

I looked at my scroll.

'Weiss and Maria are in position. Heading to Ryuki now.'

'You got a short amount of time before the next patrol. Hurry!' Satoshi said.

 **Pov change: Weiss**

"I'm sending two of my best guards to personally escort you. They are somewhat beaten from that incident with the Grimm children but my training makes them better than tough. Make sure Genral Ironwood hears that part." Cordo winked at the end of that.

"Allow me to assist you with your bag." He said as he lifted the bag. "My, what a heavy bag!"

"That's alright." I said.

"Nonsense."

"Allow me to assist as well." The second guard said.

 **Pov change: Cordo**

"I can take care of it by myself." I heard Miss Schnee said.

I looked back and continued walking while I pulled out my scroll.

"How is the prisoner?" I asked.

'As you instructed ma'am. Chained up.'

Suddenly, I heard that child wailing loudly.

"Oh he's just going to miss you so much! You should hurry on out of here."

"A crying child?!"

"We must console it!"

I watched the guards run over to the child to try and calm him, so I proceeded forward.

 **Pov change: Weiss**

"Who are they calling heavy? This is all muscle. I'll show them a thing or two about heavy." Maria said.

"We're onboard." I said.

'Alright, we'll all watch our scrolls.'

'What about Sydney?' Satoshi asked.

'Heading to the Holding Cells.' Sydney said.

 **Pov change: Ruby**

"The second Weiss is out of range of the Comm Tower, that'll mean she's out of range of the radar too."

'And that's when Blake steps in. We're almost at the drop off.'

 **Pov change: Blake**

'Okay, remember. One, the radar box is separate from the rest of the communications equipment. So if you disconnect it properly, it won't take out comms for the rest of the city. Two, this conversation never happened.' Terra said.

"Don't worry, this isn't the first time I've disabled Atlas security." I said.

'Never happened.' Terra said again.

We arrived at the destination.

"You sure I shouldn't come with?" Yang asked.

"More intruders means we're more likely to be seen." I said. "Besides, stealth isn't exactly your, um… I mean, you're great and I'll hurry back."

"Go." Yang smiled.

I smiled and ran off.

"Heading in on foot, won't be long." I said.

 **Pov change: Sydney**

I saw the holding cell with two guards in front of it. I picked up a pipe and threw it far away from the cell, but enough for one of the guards to hear it.

"Checking a noise." One of the guards said.

When they were gone, I snuck up and knocked out the guard before returning. I snuck back over to the other guard and knocked them out as well. I turned to look at the panel. It needed a code.

Or a punch.

The bars opened and I saw Ryuki. She was in prison rags and she was chained into the air. She looked dehydrated. I deactivated my semblance and walked up to her.

"Seems like you had quite a rough party." I said.

She looked at me and smiled.

I looked around and saw a switch and flipped it. Ryuki fell to the ground quickly. I helped her up before pulling out my scroll.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

'Ryuki is injured but she will make it.' Sydney said.

"YES!" Tats and I hugged each other.

"Yes, it's all going to plan!" Jaune said, happily. He looked at us and composed himself. "I mean, roger."

I saw Ruby who looked worried. I walked up and placed my hand on her shoulder.

"Sydney has her. Ryuki is going to be okay." I said.

"I'm worried about her. And…" Ruby looked at her uncle.

"So far, everything is going to plan. Once we're airborne, maybe things will get better. All that matters to me right now though is Ryuki getting out of there."

"Hey," Oscar caught our attention, "this is gonna work."

"Yeah… I hope so…" Ruby said.

 **Pov change: Weiss**

I saw the bars of connection disappear and completely vanish. I stood up and kicked the guards out, leaving them with a single parachute.

Maria already got out and sat down.

"You sure you know how to fly this?"

"Sweetie, I am the Grimm Reaper." Maria pushed a button and got into position. "What part of best Huntress in this generation do you not understand?"

"…Right. But your eyes." I said.

Maria pulled out a plug and inserted it into her goggles.

'transmitting sensory array' appeared on the screens and her eyes opened widely.

"You were saying?" Maria asked.

"But you said your eyes were in desperate need of repairs." I said.

"Up up up." Maria said.

A beat went by.

"I—"

"Up."

 **Pov change: Sydney**

I helped Ryuki hide behind boxes as a patrol passed us.

"We gotta get to the gate before they discover the unconscious guards in the cell." I said.

"Nnn…"

I looked at Ryuki and saw the bruises and cuts all over her body.

"Guys, we need that comms station down now. Ryuki is really badly injured."

'Blake should be done soon.' Ruby said.

'This is taking too long…' I thought to myself as I looked at Ryuki.

 **Pov change: Ruby**

I looked at the scroll to see Weiss' signal disappear.

"Alright guys, this is it. Blake, you're up." I said.

…Nothing.

"…Blake?" I asked.

I looked back at everyone.

 **Pov change: Sydney**

"Guys, what the hell is going on?" I asked.

I looked over our cover to see a patrol walk by the holding cell and look inside. I looked back at Ryuki who seemed on the verge of collapse.

'Yang. What's going on?' Ruby asked.

'I… don't know.'

"Well the longer we're here, the more likely we will be caught." I said as I looked at the signals. I saw Weiss' signal reappear.

 **Pov change: Carolina**

I stood, watching my soldiers, when one of them noticed something.

"Ma'am, we got something on radar."

"And who would be foolish enough to fly into our airspace unannounced?" I asked.

"Apparently… us." He said.

"Call them." I said.

"Manta 5-1, this is Argus Base. We see you've circled back. What's your status, over."

A beat passed.

'Argus Base, this is Manta 5-1. Feel free to gaff off. Thought we were going to scrub due to FOD, but we're back up and green across the board, over.'

I know that voice.

"Get. Her. Here. Now." I said.

"Manta 5-1 return to base immediately, or you will be treated as hostile, over." The soldier said.

'I thought you said you knew their jargon!' Miss Schnee said.

"Jargon was fine, but our pilots aren't elderly women." The soldier said.

'Huh, well they got me there.' I heard.

'Ma'am! The Grimm Girl has escaped. We found two soldiers unconscious in the cell.'

"RRRG GIVE ME THAT." I grabbed the microphone. "Calavera! You and those insolent children have taken the Grimm girl, haven't you?! You thought you could undermine my authority? If you don't return my ship this instant, I will make an example out of you. I will execute the Grimm twins AND you! I will show you the true might of Atlas!"

I heard crunching over the mic and knew what that noise was.

'You hear that, Cordo? That is the sound of me not caring HAHAHA!'

"ALL SOLDIERS, FIND THAT GIRL!"

 **Pov change: Sydney**

I heard the alarm go off and soldiers running around. I looked at Ryuki and she fell forward. I caught her and held her close while a group of soldiers ran past us.

God dammit.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

'Ruby, we're in trouble. Cordo's onto us and Sydney and Maria isn't helping! Why is the radar still up?' Weiss asked.

"I don't know, Blake isn't responding." Ruby said.

"What do we do?" Oscar asked.

"I am going to go help." I said as I proceeded forward.

'No Satoshi, if you get caught, she will send you two off in the blink of an eye. Keep the ship in one piece.' Yang said.

"Maybe we should fly over to help Yang and Blake first?" Nora asked.

"Ryuki and Sydney are still in the compound!" I said.

"We can't leave them there!" Tatsumi said.

"Damn it! Cordo's gonna scramble her fighters. We've got ninety seconds before they're in the air, and all over Weiss and Maria. As for Sydney and Ryuki, there will be soldiers at every square inch of the compound. They'll find them and they'll-they'll… This is all my fault."

"What are you talking about? Your semblance?" Jaune asked.

"Every choice I've ever made has led me here, and I've dragged you along with me. Oz, myself, the others. We're responsible for the mess the world's in now. I shouldn't have come, shouldn't have let any of you come. If the Twins die, then Salem has them both. What was I thinking?" Qrow was getting hysterical.

"We're all in this together, and we're all going to do the best we can. That's all anyone can do. And I know its what you've always aimed for. We would've come whether or not you'd let us, even if this is going to kill us in the end, so stop talking like we're your responsibility! We're not! But we could still use Qrow Branwen on our side. Now more than ever."

"Hm. When did you grow up so fast?"

"I had good role models." I asked.

'Guys? She's not sending fighters.' Weiss said.

 **Pov change: Sydney**

I felt the base tremble and soldiers were running specific directions. I looked at the mountain part of the compound break and open. It slowly opened to show a…

"Guys… you got something… big coming." I said.

A giant robot mech.

'Clearly the people have forgotten that they live in peace thanks to the awesome might of Atlas.'

'Is Cordo… piloting that?' Weiss asked.

Cordo took a step that landed in front of the gate, waited for the gate to open and walked through.

This was our only chance. I picked up Ryuki and ran as fast as I could.

"There they are!" A soldier yelled.

"Open fire!"

I ran as fast as I could, dodging bullets and making it to the gate.

"CLOSE THE GATE!"

The gate was slowly shutting as I got closer.

"Come on Ryuki! You've survived worse. Man the hell up!" I yelled.

Ryuki groaned.

I made it to the gate and jumped through. I continued running past the giant mech as Cordo fired it into the air at Weiss and Maria.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

'Ryuki and I are out!' Sydney said.

"Get to Terra and Saphron. They have some healing supplies for Ryuki." Jaune said.

We all looked ahead to see Weiss and Maria come into view with Cordo close behind.

'It's time you asked yourselves, do you truly wish to defy ME?!'

"Hurry back Weiss. I need you on the ground if we're going to take this thing down. And…" Ruby looked at me.

"With pleasure." I said as I focused.

I felt my veins pulse and glow before my arms morphed into the white Grimm claws.

 **Pov change: Blake**

I hid from him. He was here. HOW?!

I hid behind cover and looked to my left to see a dead body. I gasped and ran to the railing to have a shot behind me. I looked down and saw Adam.

"Its nice to have time to ourselves." Adam said.

"Leave. Me. Alone." I yelled.

"But I've waited so… long for you to be away from them." Adam said.

I tried to escape via zip-line but Adam cut the zip-line. We began fighting while I was trying to find an opening to escape.

"Why did you have to come into my life and ruin everything?!"

"You stalked me across Anima. I don't want anything to do with you!"

I jumped up two levels and aimed down to find he disappeared. I was hit by his hilt and spun through the air in a circle to try and hit him. He blocked an dee continued to fight. He threw me back and slashed at me, making me jump to the final platform, only to land in his hand against my throat. He pushed me to the railing and we flew over the side, hitting branches before hitting the ground.

"Let go of the past, Adam. Do it for yourself." I said.

"Is that what you did to me? Just threw our memories away?"

"Adam!"

"I let you go once, already. I'm never making that mistake again."

We got into our battle stances, ready to fight again.


	85. Chapter 85

**Pov: Sydney**

I kicked open the door to Terra and Saphron's place to see they were ready for Ryuki and I. There kitchen table was cleared and had first aid kits and an aura vial.

"You could have knocked." Terra said.

"Not the time for this, Terra." Saphron said. "On the table."

I walked over to the table and set Ryuki down when the house shook violently.

"What is happening out there?" Terra asked.

I ran to the window and saw the giant robot moving towards the others.

"Nothing good." I said. "Guys, how is it going?"

'What counts for a crazy old lady?' Tatsumi asked.

'Stay with Ryuki, she will need to know what's going on when she is ready to go.' Satoshi said.

After another step, there was a big crack running down the sidewalk.

"I will take care of it." I said.

 **Pov change: Ruby**

"Hurry back Weiss. I need you on the ground if we're going to take this thing down. And…" I looked at Satoshi.

"With pleasure." Satoshi said as he shut his eyes.

In seconds, Satoshi's arms had white veins extend upward and a flash before he became the white furred Grimm.

'You're joking right? You want to fight this thing?' Weiss asked.

"We've fought giant monsters before. This is just a tiny old lady. With one very big robot." I said.

"Well we have a guy who can turn into a Grimm, does that help?" Tatsumi asked.

'You little spider roaches thought you could creep your way into Atlas?! You commit treason of bringing humanity's enemy, Grimm, into the sanctuary of Atlas! I will personally deliver both of those disgusting things to Mr. Schnee by your broken legs and arms if I have to. You think that this little stunt will keep you from the inevitable?! Well let's see how your resolve will last against the might of the Atlesian military!' Cordovan yelled.

The giant mech aimed its arm into the air. A compartment opened up on the top part and a missile launched from it. It was heading right for the ship, so I quickly pulled out my sniper and shot the missile.

'RRGH. So. Be it.' Cordovan yelled.

The mech shifted its gaze to us and readied its cannon. Just as it was about to fire, the ship landed behind us and Weiss jumped out and shielded us from the blast with her glyphs.

"That was close." Oscar said.

"We need to figure out how we're going to stop Cordovan and protect the airship until we do." I said.

"Let's give her more targets to focus on." Jaune said.

"You mean us don't you?" Nora asked.

"Her main goal is to take down Satoshi so perhaps he can be the decoy while we get into position." Jaune said.

"And what is stopping her from crushing us in two seconds?" Tatsumi asked.

"Look at that thing. It's not designed for small enemies. It's probably meant for giant Grimm from deeper waters. We can turn our size into an advantage. We just have to be smart." Jaune said.

"I'm not suited for ranged attacks." Tatsumi said.

"Same." Satoshi said.

"I can get you closer." Weiss said.

"Maria, can you take the ship out of harm's way?" I asked.

'They can take my driver's license, but they will not take this ship.' Maria said.

"Very reassuring." Ren said.

"Sydney, how is Ryuki doing?" I asked.

'Calm down, Rose. Your girlfriend is fine, but the giant mech stomping is causing the whole place to shake.' Sydney said over the mic.

"I'll be more useful if I go with her. Maybe I can spot a weakness." Oscar said.

"You're not the only one that can grab a bird's eye view." Qrow said.

"You said you needed me on the ground?" Weiss asked.

"Not exactly." I said.

 **Pov change: Cordovin**

I was waiting for the disrespectful brats to give up when all of a sudden, four groups split up. The red girl shot a bullet at me, meaning no surrender.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

I watched as Cordovin shot missiles at Ruby, which she easily dodged and ran on before flying down. Tatsumi and I ran to the ledge and joined her as we swan dived to the ocean. However, before landing, the water froze and we slid over the frozen waves with Ruby and Weiss. We flew from the slope and landed on the glyph made platforms that Weiss made, jumping from one to the next. We heard some small explosions and saw Cordovin's gaze moved to Team JNPR. Nora fired more grenades when they were blocked by a shield.

'Hahaha surely you knew that Atlas was the father of hard-light dust, or do lesser kingdoms lack proper education?'

We watched as she started to shoot at team JNPR.

'Cordo just activated shields.' Jaune said.

'I saw that. We need to find whatever's generating it.' Oscar replied.

"You know, in video games, the weak spot's usually on the back of the giant boss." Ruby said.

"Ruby, this isn't a game." Weiss said.

"I'm just trying to— look out!" Ruby yelled.

I looked to see Cordo slamming the giant foot over us, making us jump to another platform.

'You are ants. You are lower than ants. The Grimm boy and girl are nothing more than freaks that do not deserve to taint our kingdom.'

I looked up to see Qrow slam into the robot with his scythe.

'Ah! What was that?' Cordo asked.

'Until the shield's down, we're gonna have to get up close and personal with this thing.' Qrow said.

'That's easier said than done!' Ren yelled.

"We're on it." Ruby said.

"Tats. Javelin!" I said.

Tats nodded, picked me up and threw me at the mech. I used my Grimm claws to latched on and climb, leaving big scratches in the metal.

Weiss slammed her weapon into the platform, sending ice spikes at the giant's feet, holding it down. Tatsumi ran up and jumped off of the spikes and planted his sword in the giant's ankle.

'RUBY MOVE!' Oscar yelled.

I watched as Cordo fired missiles. Luckily, they escaped on Weiss' summon. When they were over Cordo, Ruby flew at her, spinning with her scythe and planting it deep into the armor. I climbed up the front and stared at Cordo through the window, a few feet next to Ruby as the mech slammed into the side of the cliff.

 **Pov change: Sydney**

I was watching as they cleaned Ryuki's cuts and scrapes while injecting her with the aura vial. The house shook again and I heard a giant crack along the house.

"What is happening out there?" Terra asked.

"I don't know."

"Well maybe you should go, before we— SAFFRON LOOK OUT!" Terra yelled.

I looked to see a piece of the ceiling crack and fall right above Saffron. All of us were too far and it happened so quick that we were sure we would hear a noise of injury any second. I looked back to see the piece of debris was floating. I looked at Ryuki to see her hand extended and she had a strained look on her face as she shifted the debris to the side and let go, letting it hit the ground.

"Guy's Ryuki's awake but still needs some more time to heal." I said.

'We're gonna need her at full strength for this.' Jaune said.

"You hear that Ryuki. Hurry the hell up and get better." I said.

Ryuki responded by giving me the middle finger.

"Atta girl." I said.

 **Pov change: Tatsumi**

I flung myself up and sliced at the stomach area before jumping back onto the cliff. I watched as Ren planted himself on the shoulder before it got back up, taking him with.

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

"Grimm boy." Cordo said.

I pulled back and slammed my paw into the window, cracking it while Ruby waved.

"Get off of me!" Cordo yelled.

I watched as the metal paw reached for Ruby so I jumped over and pulled her scythe out letting her fall, however letting myself get grabbed by the metal hand.

 **Pov change: Ruby**

I almost hit the water when Weiss caught me. I looked back up and saw Satoshi as Cordo tried to crush him.

"Satoshi is in trouble." I said.

"On it." Weiss said as we flew back up.

'This could have all been avoided had you simply stayed in the dirt, Grimm.' Cordo said.

 **Pov change: Tatsumi**

I swung in a circle and launched my great sword at the mech's arm, hitting it dead in the center and making it short out, letting Satoshi go. Satoshi quickly took this opportunity to grab the great sword's tip, pull it through the metal hand, run off of the hand and jump onto the cliffside.

We saw an electric explosion come from the back of the mech.

"You get back here with my man!" Nora yelled next to us.

We watched as Ruby and Weiss flew to the back and flew back in front with Qrow and Ren while Nora kept firing.

'I've had enough of you ingrates.' Cordo said as she readied her hand for a swing.

Before any of us could react, I felt Jaune put both hands on my back, giving me an aura boost as the four of us were hit. We flew back a few feet, Jaune hitting a rock and the rest of us sliding across the ground. As I got up, I coughed up some blood while Nora collapsed. I looked to see Cordo fire at the summon, destroying it and having three of the four that were on board land on the ground and Ruby falling.

"NO!" I yelled.

I looked to see Ruby had planted herself against the cliff and held onto her scythe for dear life.

'This is what happens when you think you know better than those rightfully in charge.' Cordo said.

I then saw the ship turn and open a missile compartment. It flew around Cordo one last time before firing the missile.

In the blink of an eye, Cordo showed that she had caught it in her hand. This took her attention more than anything.

'Calavera.' Cordo said.

 **Pov change: Sydney**

I was staring at the table when Ryuki opened her eyes.

I smiled and nodded my head.

"Good to you back with us." I said.

She leaned up and looked at the couch to see her weapons and armor.

"Managed to snag them on the way out. Ready to raise hell?" I asked.

Ryuki looked at me and nodded.

 **Hope that you guys enjoy this chapter. Would love to hear your reviews. I decided not to add the Blake and Yang vs Adam fight since there is way too much detail to it and it is way more graphic than I could write about it. Until next time, Cheers.**


	86. Chapter 86

**Pov: Sydney**

Ryuki and I ran out of the house and saw the damage dealt to the city from the giant mech when we heard the booming voice in the distance.

'You just couldn't keep this rivalry between us could you, Calavera? You had to rope in children and freaks to fail with you.'

"Guys, Ryuki and I are ready to help." I said.

'For now, help any citizens. Cordo's mech must be causing quite the earthquake to Argus.'

"We know. Ryuki saved Saffron from some debris." I said.

'Are they okay?'

"You sis' fine. Ryuki seems okay, but I will keep an eye on her. What is happening there?" I said.

'A lot… Agh.' Satoshi said. 'This crazy bitch is out of control. Wait where's Ruby?'

Ryuki looked at me.

 **Pov change: Ruby**

I hung from the cliffside and began to pull myself. I flung myself up and over an landed to look back at the giant mech.

'Guys, can you hear me. Are you okay?' Oscar asked.

"Are we okay?" I asked, angry at them for coming back.

'I know we were supposed to lay low, but listen. I think I finally found a weakness.'

"Well, we're all ears." Nora said.

I looked and saw Nora, Jaune, Satoshi, and Tatsumi walking over. They seemed hurt but still stood.

'The cylinder on Cordo's cannon spins and locks every time she changes attack styles.'

"We noticed." Weiss said.

'Right, but her missile compartment doesn't lock in, it pops out! Without her shields, one well-placed shot could detonate the missiles while they're still in the launcher'

"You could destroy the entire cannon. Oscar, that's brilliant!" Jaune said.

"Can you make that kind of shot?" Nora asked.

"We'll only get one chance before she catches on." I said. "I'd have to practically stare down the barrel of her cannon."

'Well I've got a way to guarantee that.'

Maria changed course and flew towards us. When she flew right in front of us, I proceeded forward to get in.

"Ruby, what are you doing?" Qrow asked.

I didn't respond. I just hopped in and we were off.

Calivera pushed a button and called Cordo.

"Hey Cordo, I have one missile left and I know just where to stick it."

'Hehehe One missile you say? That's a shame Maria cause I have plenty!' Maria yelled.

We saw the mech's missile launcher pop out from the mech's arm cannon while we got closer.

"ARE YOU TWO CRAZY?!" Oscar yelled.

"Sometimes the best approach is simply the most direct!"

I saw my scroll going off and saw it said 'Ryuki'. I looked down and declined the call before getting into position and aimed at the cannon.

'You!' Cordo yelled.

I pulled the trigger… and the bullet was deflected after the missile launcher retracted.

'You thought you could fool me?!' Cordo asked.

She aimed her weapon at us.

"PULL UP!" Oscar yelled.

Maria pulled up the airship, but it still was caught in the blast. The airship was affected by the electricity that surged through the ship, and Maria screamed in pain as her prosthetic eyes close shut.

"I can't see! My eyes!" Maria yelled.

"No, no, no!" Oscar yelled.

"Take control!" Maria yelled.

Oscar grabbed the joystick as he barely gains control of the airship.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

I saw the ship crash and I screamed before wanting to run towards them when Sydney grabbed my arm.

"Ryuki! I know what you are thinking, but we got bigger problems." Sydney pointed towards the ocean.

I looked and my eyes widened.

 **Pov change: Ruby**

I stumbled out of the ship which somehow landed without crashing before I fell to my knees.

"Hehehe Very clever, but even the smartest apes can't compete with the intellect of man."

I used Crescent Rose to stand back up. I looked over to the airship to see Maria repairing her prosthetic eyes as Oscar watched in concern.

"Come on, come on!" Maria said.

I then looked towards Cordovin with a determined expression and walked forward. Suddenly, Qrow appears and took my hand.

"Ruby, stop!" Qrow said.

I looked back to my uncle, still bearing my determined expression. Qrow gasps.

"I need you to trust me." I said.

Qrow closes his eyes and ultimately relents as I pulled my hand away.

"If this doesn't work, you know what to tell Ryuki." I said as I walks to the edge of the cliff and stood face to face with Cordovin's mech.

'Surrender for your crimes, and accept your punishment.'

"No!" I yelled. "We're going to Atlas. Bigger people than you have tried to stop us and failed, but we're supposed to be on the same side! We're supposed to use our power to protect people, but you just use yours to look down on everyone!"

'The Grimm children are threats to—'

"I don't care what you think! You haven't known Ryuki and Satoshi like we have. Ryuki cares about others and is willing to do anything to help. I love her more than anything and I won't let you take her away. We didn't want to steal from you or attack your guards. We did it because you gave us no other choice! Now I'm giving you one last chance to stand down and hear us out."

There was a brief moment of silence.

'I've heard enough…' Cordo said.

Cordovin then aimed her cannon at me.

"Ruby!" Qrow yelled.

I heard people running towards me.

I stared down the cannon as Cordovin fired up the arm cannon. At the last moment, I used my Semblance and flew into the arm cannon.

'WHAT?!' Cordo yelled.

"She's NUTS!" Nora yelled.

Inside the arm cannon, I planted Crescent Rose into the ground and took aim at the buildup of Dust. I fired and used my Semblance to quickly get out of the arm cannon. Suddenly, the arm cannon exploded, covering it in ice and stone.

'What?! No! NO!' Cordo yelled.

As I flies backwards, my Aura ran out and fell unconscious. My fall was slowed down by black Glyphs from Weiss, and Qrow caught me in his arms. Weiss collapses in exhaustion as Jaune, Ren and Nora run over to her. Satoshi and Tatsumi ran over and seemed happy.

"Ruby? Ruby!" Qrow asked.

I opened my eyes and smiled at my uncle.

"Told ya." I said.

The Atlesian airship's engines can be heard coming back on as it hovers lightly above the ground. Maria managed to fix her eyes.

"Oh, don't tell me I missed it!" Maria said.

 **I am not going to add the Blake and Yang and Adam fight. It is too visually detailed.**

'No! No, no, no, NO! You! You're never getting to Atlas! Do you hear me?! NEVER! All forces converge on my position and eliminate these pests at once!' Cordovin said.

"Crap!" Oscar said.

"Everyone on board! We're making a run for it!" Maria said.

"What about Yang and Blake?" Jaune asked.

"And Ryuki and Sydney." Satoshi said.

I got a call and saw it was Sydney.

"Sydney?" I asked.

'Guys! We got a problem!'

"What?" Satoshi asked.

'Look out on the water!' Sydney said.

We looked and saw in the distance, a towering Grimm can be seen stomping in the water towards Argus. It lets out a terrifying roar.

'That's not all.' Sydney said.

We then looked back at the city and saw a massive legion of Manticores and Sphinxes in the air above the city of Argus.

'Whatever the hell it is, it began its approach during your battle!'

I looked back to the others in horror, who all share equally concerned expressions. They look to Cordovin's mech, still struggling to lift up its arm cannon…

"Everyone, regroup on the cliffside." I said.


	87. Chapter 87: Rewrite for this Chapter

**Because I have waited almost a whole year and have not posted anything on this for a while, I have decided to rewrite the ending of this chapter to fit what is more likely to happen in the next volume. If you guys would rather, after this volume, for me to simply freestyle it afterwards, then I will gladly do it, as I am also considering rewriting it as a whole. Let me know in the reviews. Cheers.**

 **Pov: Cinder**

I watched as the mistral ship came down to land in front of me and some companions. The door opened to show Neo in her new outfit. She dragged out the body of the Haven police chief, Shane, and kicked his corpse onto the ground.

"It should get us to Solitas. After that, you might want to try materializing yourself some snow boots." I said.

"If even." Kagome said.

Sighou grunted.

Neo rolled her eyes at our remarks. She steps out of the airship and holds her hand out, and I stopped walking. Neo then placed her hand on the airship, and uses her Semblance to transform it into an Atlesian Manta aircraft. She then retracts the disguise and snaps her fingers with a smirk on her face.

"Well?" Sighou asked.

"I think that this will be better than I expected." I said.

"Good." Kagome said.

"You know, Neo, someone once asked me if I believed in destiny." I said as we boarded the airship. "And I'm happy to say I still do."

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

I stared at the sea and saw the giant Grimm submerge and the thousands of Grimm above us.

'Everyone, regroup on the cliffside.' Ruby said.

We looked around and saw people screaming as Grimm flew down. One landed on a roof next to us and roared. Sydney pulled out her weapons and shot at the Grimm, making it fly away from the citizens.

"Ruby! The Grimm are coming from all sides! Ryuki and I can take care of the Grimm in the city!" Sydney said.

I looked at Ryuki and nodded before pulling out my bow and arrow.

 **Pov change: Ruby**

"Okay, be careful you two." I said.

'Ryuki, let's go!' Sydney yelled.

'Manta Two-Two: We're getting slammed by hostiles out here! Where is Cordovin?!'

'This is your fault! Do you hear me?! ' Cordovin yelled.

"Ruby!" Yang yelled.

Yang and Blake ran out of the forest to join the rest of us.

"Yang!" Satoshi said.

"Hey…" Yang said as the two embraced.

"Yang! Blake! Are you okay?" I asked.

"What happened?" Blake asked, seeing the mech.

A loud roar was heard from the ocean.

"Was that a giant Grimm?" Yang asked.

"Yes… and we just ruined the only thing capable of stopping it…" Weiss said.

"What about the Grimm attacking the school?" Tatsumi asked.

Satoshi looked at us.

"Teams RWBY and JNPR will take care of the Leviathan. Team STRS will take care of the town."

The group wastes no time boarding the aircraft. It begins to fly away. Ruby watches with pity as Cordovin continues to struggle moving the mech.

'This is your fault! YOUR FAULT! You and those Grimm children… This is… your fault…'

"I'm so sorry…"

 **Pov change: Satoshi**

"Satoshi, we have to go!" Tatsumi said.

I stared at the giant mech and looked at Tatsumi.

"Go on ahead." I said.

"What?! No, we have to go!" Tatsumi said.

"I said GO!" I said.

Tatsumi stared at me and nodded before leaving.

'You…' I heard the mech. 'You are a monster that has caused the destruction of Argus.'

I looked back at the mech as I took off my metal eyepatch.

"Yes… I am part Grimm. Yes, Ryuki is part Grimm. We never asked for it, but we have lived with it nonetheless. We have been beaten, abandoned, and hated for something we never asked to be. I hated humanity for the way you all treated Ryuki and I, but Ryuki… she still loved humanity with all her heart. She is better than me and deserves a happy ending. And nothing will keep me from protecting her until the very end. Not the Grimm, not you. She is my sister and I love her." I said as I jumped over to the disabled mech's arm and morphed my arms into Grimm arms.

'What are you going to do?' Cordovin asked.

"Making a gamble." I said.

 **Pov change: Ruby**

 **"** We need to head for the Leviathan. Jaune, can you and Ren be ready to mask our ship?" I asked.

"I think we can manage." Ren said.

"Got a few ideas?" Jaune asked.

"I've got one." I said.

"Eyes up, everybody. It's back." Qrow said.

'Argus Base, this is Manta 3-4! Leviathan has hit the shallows and resurfaced! We need those shields up now, over!'

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

A Grimm almost attacked a couple, but I shot an arrow at the Grimm, causing it to cry in pain as electricity pulsed through its body.

"Thank you." The male said.

I nodded and the couple ran off.

I heard gunshots behind me and saw two Manta soldiers approach me.

"HQ, we have the Grimm prisoner in our sights. How should we proceed?" The soldier asked.

After a brief moment, they aimed their weapons at me, but a gryphon landed behind them. I quickly pulled out my arrow and shot past the two guards at the gryphon. The arrow hit the gryphon in the eye. It screeched loudly and tried to claw the arrow out. I fired a rope arrow at its leg and pulled it down to the ground. I switched my bow into the staff and shoved it through the other eye, causing it to evaporate.

I sighed and looked back at the guards as they aimed their weapons at me again. They looked at each other and nodded before lowering their weapons.

"Target has vanished and must be deemed killed in action." The solider nodded.

I smiled and felt the entire ground shake.

 **Pov change: Ruby**

We watched in horror from the aircraft as the Leviathan broke through the shields.

"It tore straight through…" Oscar said.

'All squadrons, fall back to evacuation procedures. Disengage Leviathan! I repeat, disengage! Over!'

"No, wait!" I said.

I ran up to the radio.

"Ruby!" Qrow said.

"We can stop it!" I said into the radio.

'Who is this? Identify yourself!'

"I'm a Huntress. My team and I are heading to the Leviathan and can weaken it for you to attack!" I said.

"We can?" Jaune asked.

"I can." I said.

"Ruby, when I said 'trial by fire'—" Maria began

"I did it at Beacon and at the farm." I said.

"You really think you can do it now?" Weiss asked.

"I don't have a choice. Yang…" I said.

"I know. I will." Yang said.

'Manta 5-1, your ship is currently flagged as hostile. You will receive no support, over.'

"Fine, we'll do it alone if we have to." Ruby said. "We can hit it while it's stopped at the next barrier. Ren, you're up!"

Ren and Jaune proceed to combine their Semblances, masking the airship as we weaved between the air battles between Grimm and Atlas forces. The Leviathan made its way to the next barrier and charges its energy breath again.

"We're too late! Pull up!" Qrow yelled.

The aircraft pulled up out of the way as the Leviathan fires its breath, destroying the next barrier and toppling a cupola off one of the buildings in Argus. Ren and Jaune collapsed as their Auras were drained.

"Damn it…!" Jaune yelled.

"That's all I've got!" Ren yelled.

"It's on the move again! We need to stop it!" Blake said.

"What do we do?" Yang asked.

I thought for a moment, before to looking to Weiss.

 **Pov change: Tatsumi**

I made it to Sydney as she shot a Grimm in the head.

"Hey there good looking." Sydney said.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Feels like Beacon all over again." Sydney said.

"Let's get through this and maybe… enjoy some time at Atlas." I said.

"Heh I can see it now." Sydney said.

There was a loud roar and we looked to see Ruby standing on top of a summon from Weiss. Suddenly, someone pushed by us and Sydney stood in front of us.

"Ryuki…" I said.

 **Pov change: Ruby**

I takes out my earpiece and tossed it into the water below. I closed my eyes again to concentrate. As I concentrated, I thought back on various memories:

My father and sister, when Zwei first arrived at Team RWBY's dorm room, meeting Ryuki and Satoshi, when me and my team were about to start a food fight, and when we get noodles after our victory in the tournament, then Penny Polendina, then to when she first saw Jaune, Team JNPR, Pyrrha…

I started to frown as bad memories start to flood my mind: the night when Jaune trained alone with a recording of Pyrrha, when I saw my friends wounded as Beacon was being evacuated, when Yang sank into depression over the loss of her arm… Ryuki holding Satoshi's dead body…

I whimpered upon remembering the deaths of Pyrrha, Satoshi, Penny…

Suddenly, I opened my eyes again and noticed the Leviathan standing face to face with me.

"What?" I asked.

I then looked down and realized I had the Relic of Knowledge on my belt, which caused the Leviathan to have its attention on me.

"No, no, no, no!" I said.

Suddenly, the Leviathan opens its maw and lunged toward me…

"J-JINN!" I yelled.

Suddenly, time stopped. Everything slows down and freezes.

"Ruby!" Yang yelled.

I then breathed a sigh of relief as I heard the rattling chains of Jinn.

"I'm sorry... I don't have a question for you. I just… I just needed a little more time…"

I looked to Jinn, who has a stern look on her face.

"I know... and while you don't seek knowledge, just this once, I shall give it freely. I will not allow you to use me without a question again... Even if this was clever."

"What?"

"Ask whatever you wish." Jinn said.

I looked down and thought about it.

"Can I save the twins?" I asked.

"Hm?" Jinn asked.

"Can I save Ryuki and Satoshi from their fate?" I asked.

"Satoshi and Ryuki Suni are slaves to fate. Their existence has been cursed by Salem's Grimm side as well as her immortality. They share her hate and her curse. They cannot change their fate." Jinn said.

I looked down, feeling nothing but defeat after hearing that.

"But…"

I looked back at Jinn.

"If you wish for my advice, cherish them. If you truly love them, then use the time that you have left with them to the best of your abilities." Jinn said.

I smiled and nodded at Jinn.

"Thank you Jinn." I said.

"Never again will I do this." Jinn said as she vanished.

I turned back to the Leviathan and focused.

I thought back to when Team RWBY decorated our dorm room, when Weiss gave me coffee, when Blake cheered for Weiss in Professor Port's class, when Yang was training me before leaving for Beacon, when Team RWBY celebrated their victory after saving Vale. When Ryuki and I ran through the halls, the Beacon Dance and Team JNPR again, and then to when Qrow arrived at Beacon, to talking with Oscar, and then to Maria, to Penny again, then when Ryuki and I kissed for the first time…

And finally, I thought back to my mother, her white cloak blowing in the wind as she overlooks a cliff watching a sunset. She then turns around, offering a warm smile. Her own Silver Eyes reflect back to mine…

My own eyes then shine bright, the brightest it has ever been. A massive white light engulfs the area, turning the Leviathan to stone. I heard the citizens of Argus and the Atlas military cheer as the Grimm threat has been nullified.

The light retracts back into my eyes, and I turn around to look at the city of Argus still standing. Suddenly, I heard a stone crackling behind me. The Leviathan's head manages to move and tries to aim at me.

"No…" I said.

'I'll take it from here!' Cordovin yelled.

Suddenly, Cordovin shows up in the mech, its arm cannon now detached and Satoshi standing on the mech's shoulder. Everyone looks in shock. Without the weight of the cannon, the mech begins to run toward the semi-petrified Leviathan.

'After all, I was sworn to protect the people!' Cordovin said.

The mech's left hand then transforms into a giant drill. Cordovin uses the drill to destroy the Leviathan, causing it to dissipate. The people of Argus cheer while the Arc family looks on with stupefied expressions.

The mech then walks over to me. Satoshi jumps off and landed next to me.

"Where have you been?" I asked.

"Making a gamble." He said as he looked at the missing arm.

Its cockpit opens up revealing Cordovin herself standing in stern military manner.

"Thank you. And… I'm sorry." I said.

"The Atlas military can handle the stragglers." Cordovin said.

"What, uh… What are you saying?" I asked.

"I'm saying I don't think anyone would notice if one more ship went missing in my lengthy report. As for the children, it appears that they perished during the conflict." She smiled.

I smiled back at Cordovin, who then turns the mech around and runs off to join her men in taking down the remaining Grimm.

"Let's go." Satoshi said.

I nodded and we were off.

 **Later**

We stood on the airship as it flew through the night sky. Tatsumi and Ryuki were asleep, Satoshi and Yang were talking, and Ryuki stood next to me as I spoke to Maria.

"We should have just enough fuel to make it." Maria said.

"Thanks, Miss Calavera."

"Hey, Ruby. You did great out there today, kid. Just don't go giving me heart attacks like that again." Qrow is about to take a drink from his flask, but ultimately decides not to. I hug him in response.

"I love you, too." I said before walking back to the others.

Ryuki placed her head on my shoulder and I smiled.

"I missed you." I said.

Ryuki pecked me on the cheek.

 **POV Change: Satoshi**

"I just… I just need some time to think about it…"

"That doesn't make any sense, weren't we—"

"Satoshi… please."

Satoshi knew that fighting Yang would only push her away even more, so he just lowered his head and nodded. To his surprise, Yang placed both hands on his cheeks and gave him one last peck on the lips.

"Thank you."

Yang was the first to leave as she sat next to Blake, leaving me by myself. Feeling something grab my hand, I looked to see Ryuki standing next to me with a concerning look on her face.

"It's nothing Ryuki… just personal stuff."

'You know I hate when you don't tell me things.'

"I will… just need some time to myself," I said as I walked up to the cockpit to just have whatever distance I could have.

 **Pov change: Ryuki**

In the back of the aircraft, Weiss, Blake, and Yang sat together.

"I'm sorry you went through that nightmare. But, I'm glad Yang was there for you in time." Weiss said.

Blake and Yang smile before the latter took Blake's hand.

"We were there for each other." Yang said.

"Took the words right out of my mouth." Nora said.

"Hey, stop it!" Ruby said.

"You petrified a Leviathan… after diving down the barrel of a cannon!" Ren said.

I looked at Ruby with a worried look. I knew that she was crazy, and I loved her for that, but I was not expecting something THAT bad.

"Hehehe Don't act like you all haven't done crazy stuff before! I mean, Oscar made a successful crash landing! He's a fourteen year old farm hand!" I said.

"That was seriously impressive." Jaune said.

"We'd have been stranded without you." Blake said.

"I… thanks, but... I've been meaning to tell you guys… I didn't land the ship on my own." Oscar said.

"Ozpin took control?!" Nora asked.

"No, he guided me… And then he was gone again…" Oscar said.

"Of course he did…" Satoshi said.

"Does that mean he's been watching us this whole time?" Yang asked.

"I don't know, but… it at least means he was looking out for us." Oscar said.

Everyone ponders this revelation before Qrow speaks up.

"Hey, if you've never seen Atlas in person before, you don't wanna miss this." Qrow said.

We walked up to the cockpit window.

"Is it weird that I'm sorta nervous?" Ruby asked.

"No, I'll believe we've made it to Atlas when I see it." Yang said.

"Well… believe it." Weiss said.

The airship comes out of the clouds, and the floating city of Atlas is seen coming into view.

"Wow!" Nora said.

Tatsumi and Sydney walked up, exhausted but amazed.

"You know, you make the trip up to Atlas over and over, but you never get used to that view. Oh, come on!" Maria yelled at her eye.

Weiss leans forward and has a nervous look on her face. I noticed this.

"Weiss, what is it?" Ruby asked.

Everyone looks up, and notice above the city of Atlas' many Atlas Airships.

"The Atlas air fleet… I knew all of our ships were called back, but…" Weiss said.

"They're set up like they're expecting an attack…" Qrow said.

Suddenly, the radio turns on.

'Manta 5-1, welcome home…'

I looked towards Satoshi and saw something on his arm. A small streak of black that slowly inched up his arm, but it was not the familiar vein in his arm that scared me. It was the lack of emotion that Satoshi had. I promised myself that I would never allow Satoshi to become that thing back in the village, so I am going to have to be there for him just like the old days. I reached towards his hand yet again and held it as we waited for someone to decide what to do next.


	88. Chapter 88

**Hello Everyone, I am going to be doing this story in third person from now on, unless the group gets split up.**

Manta airships were patrolling the skies around the City of Atlas, keeping in communication with one another over radio. Meanwhile, one battle scarred and stolen ship faced the floating sitting as Maria piloted toward the city, they receive radio contact.

'Manta 5-1. Welcome home. Please continue your approach to Atlas docking bay Omega-12. A security team will meet you there. Over.'

Everyone was going through their own panic attacks as they stared at the large military air fleet surrounding the kingdom's capital.

"…I don't understand. What's happening here?" Ruby asked.

"I don't know," Qrow responded.

"Whatever the case is, we are here. We got the lamp to Atlas, so I guess we land and get some answers," Jaune said.

"Was there a Grimm attack?" Tatsumi asked.

"…I'm not so sure about either of those two possibilities. I've never seen our forces deployed so aggressively before. If we land in a stolen ship, there's no way the security team will let us anywhere near Ironwood. They might even take Satoshi and I back to my father."

"What? Why would he want me," Satoshi asked.

"Before I left, I heard my father and Ironwood having a conversation regarding your… uh body. He wanted to experiment on you, I believe."

"Well, that is just great… another person who wants me dead."

"If he knows about you, then he may know about Ryuki as well…"

"I'll rip his goddamn head off if he tries," Sydney said.

"So—"

"Winter!" Weiss blurted out as she pulled out her scroll, "Put some distance between us and the fleet."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Maria said.

Ryuki looked to her brother and saw the look on his face. He was angry… and sad… even if no one could see through the monotone look on his face, Ryuki knew deep down. Deciding to act on it, Ryuki grabbed her brother's hand and pulled him to the back of the ship.

"Ryuki? What?"

'What is going on with you?'

"Ryuki, I—"

'If you tell me that you are fine, I am throwing you out of this ship.'

Ryuki watched as Satoshi looked towards Blake and Yang as the others continued talking, but was grabbed by his cheek and forced to look at his sister again.

"Recently, I have begun to think that maybe helping Ruby that night forced us into a chain of events that wasn't meant for us."

Hearing that shocked Ryuki.

"I mean, for God's sake, everything that has ever happened to us is because of that night. Before all this, all I cared about was looking after my sister. Now, we are the targets of a living evil god that is also our mother while our father is hiding away in the mind of a child."

'I understand. But Sats, we cannot think about the past anymore.'

'…cannot express our appreciation enough. Many describe these as uncertain times, and while that may be the case for the rest of the world, I can tell you what is certain. The Kingdom of Atlas will remain strong, and it will remain safe. That is my promise.'

"General Ironwood… He looks…"

"Tired."

"James, what have you been doing…" Qrow said.

Satoshi and Ryuki looked at one another again.

"We can talk about this later, okay?"

'Consider it a promise.'

The twins walked back to the others to hear Weiss say, "This isn't right. None of this is right."

'Manta 5-1, we've noticed a detour in your route. You are to make your way to docking bay Omega 12 immediately. Do you copy? Over.'

"We're kind of running out of time here, kids," Maria said.

"We need to ditch the ship."

"Agreed. Get lost in Mantle and buy ourselves some time," Qrow said.

"I felt more safe in Haven," Tastumi said.

"I'm telling you, my sister can take us to Ironwood." Weiss said.

"Uh, Weiss?" Blake asked.

Weiss looked out the window with her as a familiar voice plays from a giant screen.

"A reminder, failure to cooperate with Atlas military personnel is a punishable offense. If your sector is under lockdown…"

"Winter?" Weiss asked.

"Looks like the apple didn't fall as far from the tree as we thought," Sydney said.

"No offense, Weiss. I'm not sure that's a good idea anymore."

"There's obviously something very wrong. If we can just talk to her, then we—"

"Look, I'm not even sure we should be talking to Ironwood until we know exactly what's going on with Mantle."

"But—"

"We are walking around with some piece of technology we have no clue how to use and three people who are considered precious cargo here. Not to mention that we are in a stolen ship," Satoshi said.

"Everyone, calm down. I know someone who can help with both."

'Manta 5-1, you are to make your—'

"Geez, lady, take a hint!" Maria said as she turned off the radio.

 **Later**

"Come on now, hurry! It shouldn't be much of a walk." Maria said.

"Is this many soldiers normal?" Jaune asked.

"No. At least, I didn't think so."

"The heiress didn't know about those beneath her. Shocking."

"Hey!" Ruby said.

"No… Sydney's right… Let's just keep moving."

As the gang continued forward, Yang stopped to look at a small robot that came up to her and began to look at her. Suddenly, Satoshi appeared and slammed his foot on top of the camera.

"Stupid fucking machine." Satoshi said.

"You didn't have to do that."

"Well, I wanted to. Come on, we should catch up with the others."

Both Yang and Satoshi walked together in an awkward silence, until the fiery blonde decided to speak up.

"Look… I just wanted to say… I appreciate that you understood."

"Yeah well… I know that I haven't been around that much. You know, being kinda dead, revived, tortured, brainwashed, and all that fun stuff."

"Satoshi, I—"

"I'm not mad, Yang. I am just… I need some breathing room as well."

"I understand."

"I'm gonna go see if Ryuki needs anything," Satoshi said as he walked away from Yang.

"You have to remember, the Kingdom had just lost the Great War. The people of Mantle needed a sign of a brighter future, and that sign was Atlas. After all, a home in the clouds is as bright as it gets.

"Unless you're the one having to look up at it." Nora said.

"I fucking hate this place…" Sydney said.

"This whole city, it just seems awful."

"Yeah? You don't like it here? There's plenty of space out in the tundra."

Blake sighed, "Sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"Atlas is the greatest Kingdom in the world, alright?!"

"You know what—"

"We can't cause a scene." Blake said.

"The embargo... The embargo's got us in a rough patch. But it'll blow over, you'll see. We try and help the other Kingdoms, and this is what happens? I say let 'em rot! And fuck it if things could get any worse, we have freaks turning into Grimm. Fucking freaks…"

Ryuki saw Satoshi's fist tighten.

"I apologize. I didn't mean to insult you."

"Stupid Faunus like you wouldn't understand. All your kind are good for is under us, or at least at our kne—"

Suddenly the man was picked up by nothing and thrown backwards. Confused, everyone saw Sydney appear where the man stood, having used her semblance, and spat near the man.

"Prick."

The group heard the androids coming towards them and decided that now was the better time to move.

 **Later**

As the group walked along the sidewalk, they saw a side door open up and a Faunus with a prosthetic arm walking out of the building, waving cheerfully to the man who was speaking to her from inside.

"And no more heavy-lifting, yah hear?"

"Ah, it's good to see you again, old friend."

An older man was sitting behind the desk, shuffling things around in a drawer. Maria cleared her throat, startling him, and he lifts his head to look at her, shutting the drawer. Maria smiled at him.

"Ah, yes, yes… Have we met?"

"Well, this is off to a fantastic start," Ren said.

"What's next? Ironwood forgets about us as well?" Tatsumi asked.

"Cybernetic optical implants. You adjust them. Every ten years or so?"

He stared at her for a few moments before throwing his hands cheerfully into the air.

"Maria," Pietro said as the robotic chair he is sitting in began walking out from behind the desk, "Yes, with the cybernetic optical implants! I adjust them every ten years or so."

"Didn't she just—" Satoshi was interrupted by Sydney elbowing him in the side, keeping him quiet.

Pietro offered his hand to her and leads her to an examination table with a chuckle, "Oh wow, has it been that long already?"

"Ah, I know. I age like a fine wine. Would've been here sooner if I hadn't run into these jokers. At the time, I thought they might need my guidance while fighting a little old Sphinx."

"Oh, did they?"

"No, no. They had much more complicated issues."

"That is an understatement." Satoshi said.

"And this is?" Qrow cleared his throat.

"So impatient. I didn't think I'd need to introduce one of Atlas' finest minds."

"Working in a place like this?"

"He likes to keep a low profile. Something I've come to realize none of you know anything about."

"You can call me Pietro."

"Finest heart, too. This pharmacy is just where he volunteers when he's not building the future of Atlas alongside Ironwood, up in the clouds."

"Oh, it's stuffy up there. Down here, I get to help the locals and have a little fun. I'm currently working on shoes that make you dance. Wanna try 'em on?"

"YES!" Nora screamed.

"I will admit that sounds like something—"

"Tats, if you put those on me, I will kill you."

"Before we get to any of those possibilities, we were wondering if you could help us. We came to Atlas hoping to talk to General Ironwood, but um…"

"What exactly has been happening here?"

"Well, the Fall of Beacon took a toll on all of us. James was no different. I couldn't tell you exactly what it was he saw there, but it changed him. He's…"

"He's scared."

"Paranoid would be the more appropriate term. You have to understand, it wasn't just the Grimm. Someone completely dismantled Atlas security code, made it their play-thing, and made us look like traitors to some and buffoons to everyone else. Whoever managed to do that is either a genius or one of our own. I fear the answer may be both, and so does the general."

"Maybe Atlas isn't as safe as we thought." Ren said.

"It never was… for people like Blake and I at least, and I am not sure about Satoshi either."

"After we came all this way, we can't just leave, can we?" Oscar asked.

"How does the council feel about all of this? Or Winter Schnee? Do you know anything about her?"

"Well, the council's so scared, they'll agree to whatever he wants. Though, some representatives from Mantle… Wait, you're… you're Weiss Schnee!"

Weiss gasps and steps back, with her friends looking nervous.

"Wait, what was it that you were trying to say about Mantle?" Yang said, trying to change the subject.

"You painted it…"

"What?" Yang asked.

"Is everything okay?" Ruby asked.

"You're Team RWBY! A-And the two of you… I saw you!" Piero looked to Satoshi, "You are the twins that Ozpin told me about."

Everyone was confused now.

"You know us?!" Ruby asked.

"Oh, my girl, I do. I most certainly do. And I feel like such a dunce for not recognizing you sooner. My daughter's told me so much about you all."

"Your… daughter?"

Their conversation is interrupted by the sound of an alarm and people screaming. Outside, civilians are running, and the lights from the street lamps have turned red.

"Ah, trouble." Jaune said.

The group quickly ran outside.

"Wait!" Piero yelled.

Everyone in the group drew their weapons. Upon drawing her katana, Blake looks at the broken blade, exhaling sharply before folding the blade down to wield it as a gun.

"I guess the city defenses aren't doing much." Oscar said.

"Somehow, that doesn't surprise me."

"Defend the city now, insult the defenses later," Tatsumi said.

Down the road from them, there was growling heard, and an Atlesian Knight-200 is thrown against a lamp post.

"What should I do here?" Satoshi asked.

"No beast mode yet, okay?"

Satoshi pulled out his sword and set it aflame with red dust.

"Well, we didn't come this far to fail now!" Ruby said as she changed her weapon Crescent Rose into scythe form and aims the sniper barrel toward the Sabyrs, which finish destroying the Atlesian Knight-200s and charge toward her and her friends. Everyone readies their weapons. Yang charges forth using recoil from her gauntlet, followed by Ren launching himself forward.

"Hey!" Nora yelled. Getting an idea, Nora looks at Jaune, who looks startled. She uses Magnhild to pole vault toward Jaune, who puts up his shield in response, allowing her to land on it. She then kicks off from his shield, launching herself.

"Jaune! Give Ryuki a boost!"

Ryuki ran towards Jaune and jumped on top of his shield and bounced up to the top of a building, giving her a good vantage point.

"LET'S DO THIS!" Tatsumi yelled as he activated his semblance and charged straight into the swarm of Grimm.

Yang delivered an uppercut a Sabyr, Ren lands on another one's back, stabbing his guns' blades into it, and it leaps into the air to knock him off, only for Nora to slam it to the ground with her hammer. Jaune beheads a Sabyr, and when a second one leaps at him, he blocks with his shield and stabs it just above its collarbone. Turning to see a third one leap at him, Jaune was almost attacked when Satoshi sliced it right through the neck.

Qrow slices two Sabyrs in half, leans back to dodge a third as it attempts to tackle him. He transforms Harbinger into scythe mode and uses it to hook the Grimm as it makes another attempt to tackle him. As he finishes spinning his scythe, he plants its blade into the ground and punches another Sabyr in the head, then uppercuts it into the air. He then kicks Harbinger upward, catches it, straightens the blade, impales the Sabyr, and slices another one that leaps at him from behind the deceased Sabyr's smoke.

Sydney and Blake ran along side each other, shooting at Grimm that were coming right for them, with Ryuki providing quick cover fire.

While Qrow shot at more Sabyrs, another one turns its attention to Oscar. It charges him, and he leaps into the air and stabs at its skull with Ozpin's cane. While he watches it die, another one leaps at him from behind, only to be sniped by Ruby, who smiles and nods to Oscar.

Ruby transformed her rifle back into scythe mode and runs forward. As a Sabyr leaps at her, she does a flip and slices it in half. She continues running, fires Crescent Rose, and begins using her Semblance to speed down the street, before appearing to split into three blurs of red that go around a Sabyr, which splits apart with a roar. The blurs converge and transform back into Ruby, who stabs the tip of her scythe into the asphalt, swinging forward on it and landing on the ground. She fires Crescent Rose and lets go of it, sending it spinning through a Sabyr and into the air. She leaps onto and kicks off of another Sabyr, spinning and catching her scythe. She fires Crescent Rose to keep up momentum and slams the blade into the ground, sending out a shockwave that takes out two more Sabyrs.

After Weiss slices through a Sabyr, four more come running toward her from another street. She casts four black glyphs, using them to levitate the Grimm. As they flail helplessly in the air, Ren leaps from Sabyr to Sabyr, cutting each of them in half. Meanwhile, another Sabyr attempts to run up behind Yang while she finishes one off, only to be shot by Blake, who smiles and nods to Yang.

"Blake! Look out!"

Blake turned to see a Sabyr behind her, and prepared for any attack, when Satoshi's sword suddenly made contact with the Sabyr's eye, killing it instantly. Yang looked to Satoshi, who had thrown it, and nodded. Satoshi straightened himself and nodded. Suddenly a Sabyr was about to attack Satoshi when a green laser came from the sky, cutting the Grimm in half. More lasers shoot from above, striking down the remaining Grimm. The alarms throughout the city stop, and the street lamps change back to their normal color. Ryuki used a rope arrow to come down and join the others.

Everyone watches as a figure with long hair flies into view, with green jets coming from her feet. She twirls in the air and slowly descends. Pietro and Maria walk outside to join the group, while Ruby and Ryuki stared at the girl before gasping and gaining a look of recognition.

"Penny!" Ruby said.

"Darling, why don't you say hello to your friends?"

Penny turns to look in the direction her father's voice came from. Upon seeing Ruby and Ryuki, she gasps and her eyes shine with joy. Ruby smiles and puts her weapon away. Penny leans forward a little.

"Sal…"

"Huh?" Ruby asked.

"U…"

"Uh Ryuki… what should I—"

Penny begins gleefully sprinting toward the two at high speed, "Tations!"

Penny leapt into the air and activates her jets, rocketing forward and tackling the two. Upon crashing to the ground, Ruby and Ryuki groaned in pain. Everyone else puts their weapons away and approaches the pair. Penny popped back up onto her feet, while Ruby and Ryuki slowly rose to their feet.

"It is such a pleasure to see you all again! Wait… My sensors indicated that you," Penny pointed at Satoshi, "were deceased."

"I get that a lot," Satoshi said.

"Penny, I… I-I thought you…"

"Died? I guess, in a manner of speaking, she did. But we were able to recover her core from Amity Arena once it had made its way back to Atlas. It took me some time, but…"

"I'm as good as new! Better, even! And now I'm the official protector of the city!"

"That's my girl. We're not going to let a little ripping to shreds stop us, are we?"

"No sir!"

"This is…"

"Strangely wholesome…"

"Yeah… I don't like it," Sydney said.

Tatsumi picked up Sydney and hugged his girlfriend tightly, "Lighten up a little."

"Put me down!" Sydney shook her arms up and down.

"We have so many things to catch up about. I cannot wait," Just as Penny finishes her sentence with a grin, the city's alarms begin blaring again, "It seems we will have to wait."

Penny bounces backward and salutes. As she charges her jets and then rockets off into the sky, she continues speaking quickly to Ruby, "Let's talk more later. I can't wait to hear about all your adventures! I'm very excited for the whole experience!"

"I can't tell if I completely understand what's going on or have, like, a million questions."

"You aren't the only one." Satoshi said.

"Well, thankfully, I have about a thousand answers. But let's get out of this weather first." Pietro said.

"I have absolutely no idea who that child was. Is she important somehow?"

"Something like that." Tatsumi said.

"That was unexpected." Jaune said.

"Never a dull moment." Ren said.

"But I wouldn't say unwelcome. I was honestly expecting things to go a lot rougher." Qrow said.

The group begins following Maria and Pietro. However, as they walk, Ren and Sydney stopped, as they had begun to sense something behind them. Before anyone can react, several bolases wrap around everyone, the spheres at the ends of the ropes locking into place with Gravity Dust. Blake turns to look back at the commotion, just in time for all of Team RWBY to be caught. As Ruby lands, the Relic of Knowledge comes unhooked from her belt and clatters to the ground. Qrow draws his sword and looks for their unseen enemy, before being captured himself. Five uniform-clad people come out of hiding and surround the group.

"Good work, team."

"Hey! What's going on?!"

"Hey, pal! I'm a licensed Huntsman! Just helped save everyone?"

Clover looks down at Qrow, twirling a horseshoe on his finger. He puts the horseshoe away and picks up Qrow's weapon. The other uniformed operatives begin gathering everyone else's weapons, while Atlesian Knight-200s approach, and the operatives hand the confiscated weapons to the robots. Clover then approaches Ruby, picks up the Relic, and looks at it.

"Hm. Let's get them loaded into the next transport."

"Please! We were just trying to help!"

"What is the meaning of this? What are the Ace-Ops even doing down here in Mantle?"

"Ace-Ops?"

"Doctor, good to see you. Well, we heard a report of an unauthorized ship making an unauthorized landing, followed by an unauthorized use of weapons by unlicensed Huntsmen."

"If we could just talk this out—"

"They'll be able to talk this out once they get to Atlas. Let's move out!"

The Ace-Ops split up and leave the area. Team RWBY, JNPR, and STRS, as well as Oscar and Qrow are forced into the back of a secure van with their wrists bound.

"Now, this… This is much closer to what I was expecting."

As soon as Qrow said that, the doors were shut in their faces.


End file.
